University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 


THE  MASTER  MIND  OF  A  CHILD  OF  SLAVERY 


AN  APPEALING  LIFE  STORY  RIVALING  IN  ITS  PICTURESQUE 
SIMPLICITY  AND  POWER  THOSE  RECOUNTED  ABOUT  THE 
LIVES  OF  WASHINGTON  AND  LINCOLN.  A  BIOGRAPHICAL 
TALE  DESTINED  TO  LIVE  IN  HISTORY  AND  FURNISH  AN 
INSPIRATION  FOR  PRESENT  AND  FUTURE  GENERATIONS 


A  Human  Interest  Story  Depicting 

THE  LIFE  ACHIEVEMENTS 

of  a 

GREAT  LEADER  OF  A  RISING  RACE 


Showing  what  one  man  born  in  slavery  and  obscurity  accomplished  by 

perseverance  and  sheer  force  of  personal  effort,  which  shines 

forth  as  a  Beacon  Light  for  every  Colored  American  and 

as  a  guide  to  further  development 


By  FREDERICK  E.  DRINKER 

EDITOR  AND  AUTHOR 


SPLENDIDLY  ILLUSTRATED  WITH   PHOTOGRAPHIC  PICTURES 


ENTERED  ACCORDING  TO  ACT  OF  CONG 
RESS,  IN  THE  YEAR  1916  BY  GEORGE  W. 
•INT RON,  IN  THE  OFFICE  OF  THE  LIBRARIAN 
OF  CONGRESS,  AT  WASHINGTON,  0.  C. 


INTRODUCTION. 

THE  ESTIMATE  OF  MEN. 

THE  truth  of  that  homely  axiom,  "  Great  Oaks  From  Little 
Acorns  Grow/'  finds  no  better  exemplification  than  in 
the  life  of  Booker  T.  Washington.     So  much  has  been 
written  about  this  extraordinary  negro  educator,  who  rose  from 
obscurity,  that  it  is  deemed  necessary  in  offering  the  public  this 
work  to  say  that  it  is  not  presented  as  a  biography,  but  rather 
as  a  story  pointing  a  moral  and  carrying  with  k  a  lesson  for  all 
mankind  to  study  and  heed. 

Dr.  Washington  has  contributed  much  to  the  literature  of 
the  age,  telling  the  story  of  his  struggles  and  ambitions  in  a 
characteristic,  simple,  straightforward  and  effective  manner, 
and  the  world  is  better  for  his  works.  But  his  very  simplicity 
and  the  utter  unselfishness  which  his  humble  life  and  training 
produced  made  it  impossible  for  him  to  "  stand  without "  and 
view  himself  with  justice. 

The  purpose  here  is  to  present  a  faithful  picture  of  Booker 
T.  Washington,  as  viewed  through  the  eyes  of  those  "  outside  " 
who  watched  his  rise  and  studied  his  work  and  progress,  and 
to  provide  an  unprejudiced  and  unbiased  work  of  some  economic 

as  well  as  historic  value. 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE  SLAVE  CHILD  WHO  BECAME  A  LEADER,  AND  HIS  LOWLY 

HABITAT. 

A  NEGRO  BABE  BORN  IN  OBSCURITY — A  CRUDE  PLANTATION  CABIN  HOME — 
"  BOOKER,"  THE  CHILD  SLAVE — A  MOTHER'S  PRAYER  FOR  FREEDOM — AN 
INSPIRING  MESSAGE — FREED  BUT  NOT  EQUIPPED— A  NEW  HOME — ADOPTS 
A  GOOD  NAME 17 

CHAPTER    II. 

MATRICULATING  IN  COLLEGE  WITH  A  BROOM. 

OFF  TO  HAMPTON,  THE  NEGRO  EDUCATIONAL  MECCA — A  FRIENDLY  BOARDWALK'S 
SHELTER— PSYCHOLOGY  OF  THE  BATHTUB — BROTHERS,  TOO,  START  EDUCA 
TIONAL  CAREERS — FEELING  THE  KUKLUX  INFLUENCE — A  CALL  TO  TUSKE- 

GEB 38 

CHAPTER    III. 

A  NEW  FIELD  OF  ENDEAVOR.    BUILDING  A  SCHOOL  FROM 

NOTHING. 

AN  INAUSPICIOUS  BEGINNING  IN  ALABAMA— A  CHICKEN  COOP  SCHOOL  HOUSE- 
LESSONS  OF  SELF-HELP — STUDENTS  BUILD  THEIR  OWN  INDUSTRIAL  COL 
LEGE— DR.  WASHINGTON  ACCLAIMED  "  COLORED  MAN  OF  CENTUBY  "  .  58 

CHAPTER    IV. 

A  JOB  OF  MAKING  CITIZENS  FROM  THE  ROUGH. 

SOUTHERN  WHITE  MEN  AID  VENTURE — INCREASED  APPROPRIATION  MARKS  STATE 

APPROVAL — AN  EXPERIMENTAL  FARM — SEEKING  FUNDS  IN  THE  NORTH — 

AN  EPOCH-MAKING  ATLANTA  ADDRESS — EXPOSITION   HAS  SIGNIFICANCE 

FOR  NEGRO  RACE 76 

CHAPTER    V. 

IN  THE  FULL  LIGHT  OF  PUBLICITY. 

PRAISE  FROM  GROVER  CLEVELAND— HONORED  BY  "OLD"  HARVARD— CHICAGO 
PEACE  JUBILEE  ORATOR— PRESIDENT  MCKINLEY  SEES  TUSKEGEE— THE 
STRIKING  TRIBUTE  OF  A  CABINET  OFFICER 95 

CHAPTER    VI. 
THE  GOSPEL  OF  SERVICE  THAT  WON. 

DIGNIFIES  INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING  AS  ECONOMIC  FACTOR — EXPERIENCE  MEETINGS 
FOR  NEGRO  FARMERS— TEACHING  THRIFT  TO  ENTIRE  COMMUNITIES — LAND 

OWNERSHIP  BASIS  FOR  POLITICAL  INDEPENDENCE 108 

v 


vi  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    VII. 

WAS  ONCE  VALUED  AT  FOUR  HUNDRED  DOLLARS. 
WORTH  BUT  LITTLE  AS  SLAVE,  BUT  OF  INESTIMABLE  VALUE  AS  FREEDMAN — 
CONSTRUCTIVE  MEASURES  FOR  RACE  BETTERMENT — THE  NEGRO  BUSINESS 
LEAGUE — A  PIONEER  IN   REAL  UPLIFT   WORK — RURAL   SCHOOL   SUPER 
VISION  118 

CHAPTER    VIII. 
THE  CAPSTONES  OF  FAME. 

WHEN  HE  DINED  WITH  ROOSEVELT  AT  THE  WHITE  HOUSE— BIG  ENOUGH  FOR  A 
CABINET  PORTFOLIO — PAVING  WAY  FOR  RACE  TO  WIN  ON  MERIT — A  EU 
ROPEAN  VISIT — ENTERTAINED  BY  QUEEN  VICTORIA .  129 

CHAPTER    IX. 

SOME  REFLECTED  VIEWS  OF  DR.  WASHINGTON. 
CRITICISM  FOR  JACK  JOHNSON — A  PROTEST  AGAINST  "LYNCH  LAW" — TELLS  OF 
FIRST   NEGRO  COTTONSEED  OIL    MILL — THE   NEGRO   CHILDREN    IN    THE 
SOUTHERN  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS— His  WRITINGS 141 

CHAPTER    X. 
A  MAN  AMONG  MEN. 

PROMINENT  WHITE  MEN'S  AID  FOR  TUSKEGEE — A  POINTED  COMMENT  ON  SOUTH'S 
FOREIGN  MISSIONS  BUDGET — HELPING  POOR  SOUTHERN  WHITES  A  HELP 
FOR  NEGRO— SOME  ADVANCE  IDEAS  IN  EDUCATION 155 

CHAPTER  XI. 
THE  MAN  OF  TUSKEGEE  AT  HOME. 

LOVED  His  FIRESIDE — FOND  OF  TELLING  PLANTATION  STORIES  AND  NEGRO 
FOLK-LORE—FRIENDS  BUILD  HIM  A  NEW  HOUSE — HOG-RAISING  A  HOBBY— 
His  LAST  ILLNESS— EIGHT  THOUSAND  AT  His  BIER 162 

CHAPTER    XII. 

A  BLACK  MAN'S  EPITAPH  WRIT  IN  WORDS  OF  GOLD. 
A  UNANIMOUS   PRESS   PRAISES  His  WORK— His  LIFE  A  LESSON   FOR  EVERY 
BOY — DID  NOT  SCOLD  WHITES  AND  TOOK  REBUFFS  WITH  PHILOSOPHY — 
INDUSTRY  AND  THRIFT  His  GOSPEL 173 

CHAPTER    XIII. 
IN   MEMORIAM. 

EVANGELISTIC  SERVICES  TO  HONOR  MEMORY — PROPOSE  MONUMENT  TO  HIM — 
ADVOCATES  WASHINGTON'S  PLAN  FOR  HAITI — PENDING  THE  APPOINTMENT 
OF  His  SUCCESSOR 192 


CONTENTS.  vii 

CHAPTER    XIV. 
AND  IT  CAME  TO  PASS. 

OTHER  LIVES  THAT  EXEMPLIFY  DR.  WASHINGTON'S  TEACHINGS— THE  PIONEER 
BISHOP — THE  FIRST  NEGRO  PHYSICIAN— A  MODERN  POET — A  POOR  DAY 
LABORER  WHO  TURNED  INVENTOR— THE  LEGAL  DEFINITION  OF  NEGRO  .  200 

CHAPTER    XV. 

THE  SPIRIT  THAT  GOES  MARCHING  ON. 

A  REMARKABIE  MEMORIAL  MEETING — HONOR  WASHINGTON'S  MEMORY  IN  BIG 
WANAMAKER  STORE — 1500  NEGROES  AND  WHITES  IN  HOLIDAY  SHOPPING 
CENTRE— PROMINENT  WHITE  CLERGYMEN  AND  LAYMEN  EULOGIZE  EDUCA- 
~OR 210 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

WIDESPREAD  INFLUENCES 

STILLED  RESTLESS  PEOPLES— COLONIZATION  ATTITUDE — LAND  OWNERSHIP  AN 
ANCHOR— A  POLICY  TO  DEVELOP  NEGRO'S  STABILITY — THE  EDUCATIONAL 
METHOD  THAT  BROUGHT  RESULTS— EARLY  EDUCATION  OF  NEGRO.  .  .  218 

CHAPTER    XVII. 
A  LESSON    IN  HISTORY. 

THE  NEGRO'S  PROUD  ANCESTRY— A  PURE  RACE — THE  BLACK  KINGDOM — A 
FAMOUS  QUEEN— THE  SPANISH  SLAVES— THE  DUTCH  VESSEL  AND  THE 
NEGRO  IN  VIRGINIA 225 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 
SOME  PERSONAL  REMINISCENCES. 

His  POLICY  FOR  RACE  DEVELOPMENT  COMPARED  WITH  THAT  OF  DR.  DuBois — 
RECEIVES  CRITICISM  WITH  QUIET  HUMOR — AN  INCOMPARABLE  LEADER 
SAYS  NEGRO  WRITER 234 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

THE  QUESTION   INVOLVED. 

WHAT  THE  NEGRO  FACES — SOME  CONCLUSIONS  DRAWN  FROM  A  UNIVERSITY  OF 
PENNSYLVANIA  REPORT — THE  PLACE  OF  THE  SKILLED  NEGRO  WORKER — 
THE  DUTY  OF  THE  NEGRO  SET  FORTH 249 

CHAPTER    XX. 

AGENCIES    FOR  NEGRO  EDUCATION. 

FUNDS  THAT  PROVIDE  FOR  THE  DEVELOPMENT  AND  STUDY  OF  THE  NEGRO — 
ROCKEFELLER  GIVES  MILLIONS — STUDY  AND  TRAINING  STRENGTHEN 
RACE— DEATH  RATE  DECREASES ,  .  ,  264 


viii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING  IDEA. 

BORN  TO  MEET  A  CONDITION — SLAVES  ONCE  WERE  HIRED  OUT  AS  ME 
CHANICS — EMPLOYMENT  PROBLEMS — THE  HAMPTON  SCHOOL  A  TYPE  .  274 

CHAPTER    XXII. 
EVERYTHING  LEADS  TO  THE  HOME. 

LEADER  REALIZED  NECESSITY  OF  CREATING  HOME  IDEALS — SOME  FACTS  ABOUI 
CITY  CONDITIONS — THE  SORT  OF  THINGS  DR.  WASHINGTON  WANTEE 
NEGROES  TO  AVOID 2c£ 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 
EN     PASSANT. 

DR.  WASHINGTON'S  OPPOSITION — PROOF  OF  ECONOMIC  WORTH  VERSUS  REC  G. 
NITION  AS  A  MATTER  OF  HUMAN  JUSTICE — Is  EXPLOITATION  OF  NEGRO  A 
WAR  CAUSE  ? — COLORED  LEADER'S  EARLY  PLEAS  FOR  JUST  NEGRO  SUF. 
FRAGE  LAWS 29£ 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 

WHERE  FALLS  THE  MANTLE  THAT  HE  WORE? 

FINDING  A  SUCCESSOR  TO  DR.  WASHINGTON  DIFFICULT— His  UNSELFISHNESS 
AND  DEVOTION  TO  His  RACE — No  SIMILAR  CONDITIONS  TO  DEVELOP  AN 
OTHER  (<  BOOKER." 31] 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  SLAVE  CHILD  WHO  BECAME  A  LEADER, 
AND  HIS  LOWLY  HABITAT. 

ABOUT  three  years  before  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War, 
which  was  destined  to  bring  about  the  abolition  of 
slavery,  there  was  born  in  a  plantation  cabin,  within  the 
borders  of  the  famous  old  State  of  Virginia,  a  sturdy- framed 
negro  boy,  out  of  whose  record  of  achievements  the  world  has 
since  come  to  recognize  the  truth  and  justice  of  those  words  of 
Frederick  Douglass,  the  negro  statesman  and  orator,  who,  in 
an  impassioned  plea  for  his  fellow  black  men,  once  said :  "  Their 
day  will  come,  and  they  will  be  found  in  all  pursuits,  achieving 
distinction  and  showing  capabilities  which  they  were  never  sup 
posed  to  possess." 

The  instrument  to  make  this  prophecy  come  true  was 
Booker  T.  Washington — the  negro  boy  of  the  plantation  cabin — • 
who  on  Sunday,  November  14,  1915,  died  at  Tuskegee,  Ala 
bama,  amidst  scenes  of  industrial  and  educational  activity  which 
under  his  spell  grew  in  one  generation  from  a  little  frame 
country  school  into  one  of  the  greatest  institutions  for  the 
education,  training  and  development  of  the  colored  race  the 
world  has  ever  known. 

Throughout  all  the  ages  and  in  every  clime  mankind  has 
ever  stood  ready  to  acclaim  those  members  of  society  who  by 
their  deeds  of  bravery,  heroism,  sacrifice  or  individual  accom 
plishments  have  shown  themselves  to  be  worthy  of  leadership; 
but  history  offers  few  life-stories  that  can  serve  as  a  greater 
inspiration  to  struggling  humanity  than  that  of  the  slave  babe 
who  developed  into  the  foremost  negro  educator  and  industrial 

2-W  17 


18      SLAVE  CHILD  WHO  BECAME  A  LEADER. 

trainer  of  his  people,  and  became  the  honored  friend  and  con 
fident  of  presidents,  statesmen,  financiers,  educators  and  philan 
thropists. 

It  was  not  merely  that  he  won  recognition  from  men  in, 
every  station  of  life,  but  that  he  did  so  with  every  presumption 
of  success  against  him.  There  was  nothing  in  his  early  life, 
or  in  the  history  of  his  family,  or  in  his  environment  which 
gave  rise  to  the  belief  that  Booker  T.  Washington  would  ever 
be  more  than  one  of  many  thousands  of  ordinary  negro  boys  of 
the  South.  In  fact  he  had  little  "  family/'  even  as  families 
might  go  with  those  hordes  of  black  men  who  were  brought  in 
bondage  from  the  shores  of  Africa,  and  from  whom  he  des 
cended. 

HIS  PROGENITORS  UNKNOWN. 

He  possessed  no  pride  of  ancestry,  for  he  knew  little,  if  any 
thing,  about  his  progenitors.  It  may  be  that  in  his  veins  there 
coursed  the  blood  of  black  forest  kings,  born  to  rule,  but  the 
pages  of  time  contain  no  such  records.  What  little  there  is 
known  of  his  infant  history  is  almost  an  open  book. 

The  scene  of  his  birth  was  Franklin  County,  Virginia,  near 
a  cross-roads  post-office  called  Hale's  Ford.  His  mother  was 
a  slave,  and  he  came  into  the  world,  so  far  as  it  has  been 
able  to  determine,  about  the  year  i858.  His  birth-place  was 
a  typical  cabin  in  the  slave  quarter  of  a  plantation — a  one-room, 
rough-hewn,  board  hut,  probably  sixteen  or  eighteen  feet  wide 
by  twenty  feet  long.  Though  the  war  has  passed  more  than  half 
a  century  and  many  of  the  famous  old  plantations  of  the  South 
have  been  rehabilitated  since  their  desolation,  here  and  there  in 
dell  and  glade  are  still  to  be  found  remnants  of  these  cabins 
which  housed  the  black  chattels  of  the  owners  of  generations 
gone. 


SLAVE  CHILD  WHO  BECAME  A  LEADER.      19 

Some  of  them  may  still  be  found  in  that  same  Virginia  in 
which  "  Booker  '  first  saw  the  light  of  day.  The  rude  hut 
or  cabin  boasted  of  no  modern  window  with  crystal  panes 
through  which  the  warm  sun  might  send  its  rays  to  cheer  the  in 
mates  when  cold  winds  blew.  Square  holes  cut  in  the  sides  of 
the  weather-beaten  board  house  were  truly  windows  through 
which  the  gentle  summer  zephyrs  blew  and  the  cold  blasts  of 
winter  penetrated. 

DOOR  OF  ROUGH  BOARDS. 

The  door  of  rough  boards,  held  together  on  the  inner  side 
by  battens,  hung  treacherously  upon  rusty  hinges,  forged  by 
plantation  or  country  blacksmith.  It  swung  wide  open  in 
summer  and  rattled  and  banged  in  the  sharp  winds  of  winter  in 
a  pitiful  attempt  to  fill  the  doorway.  But  the  crude  archi 
tect  of  the  cabin  had  given  the  door  a  bigger  job  than  it  was 
capable  of  filling.  Its  shortcomings  were  represented  by  large 
cracks  and  crevices  through  which  the  light  of  day  streamed 
into  the  single  room  and  the  cool  evening  breezes  crept., 

At  one  end  of  the  cabin  was  fire'place  of  stone  and  rough 
plaster,  blackened  by  the  soot  and  smoke  from  many  embers. 
The  grimy  maw  of  the  fire-place  held  an  assortment  of  crane, 
pot  hooks  and  hangers,  upon  which  the  iron  pot  or  skillet  was 
wont  to  hang  in  the  hour  of  preparing  meals. 

Somewhere  there  seems  to  have  been,  and  still  is,  an  ir 
resistible  charm  about  the  crude  old-fashioned  open  fire-place 
that  imparts  a  distinct  air  of  "  hominess  "  to  the  most  forlorn 
and  barren  cottage.  So  it  was  in  the  plantation  cabin  where 
was  born  the  colored  man  who  was  destined  to  become  the 
leader  of  his  race. 

The  cheerful  blaze,  under  the  blackened  pots,  sent  its  glow 
across  the  hard,  packed  earthen  floor,  in  the  centre  of  which 


20      SLAVE  CHILD  WHO  BECAME  A  LEADER. 

was  a  large  hole  covered  with  boards,  that  served  as  a  store 
house  for  the  family  food  supply  during  the  winter  months,  the 
principal  portion  of  which  consisted  of  sweet  potatoes  grown 
on  the  plantation.  There  was  a  rough  board  table,  for  the 
cabin  was  the  cook-house  or  kitchen  for  the  slave  population 
of  the  plantation.  There  were  also  a  couple  of  rough  wooden 
benches  and  a  bunk  or  bed,  but  the  sleeping  quarters  for  Dr. 
Washington — tthe  "  Booker  '  of  those  early  days — was  the 
floor,  where  with  an  older  brother  and  sister  he  laid  his  weary 
body  down  on  a  straw  filled  pallet,  or  a  bundle  of  discarded 
clothing,  bags  or  rags. 

A  CRUDE  HUT  AND  A  BIG  HOME. 

The  crude  hut  stood  at  some  little  distance  from  the 
big  home  of  his  master,  Jones  Burroughs.  Close  beside  it 
ran  the  lane,  and  near  one  end  stood  a  sturdy  tree  whose  green 
foliage  cast  a  gentle  shadow  over  the  sloping  roof  in  summer. 

There  was  no  accident  of  fortunate  birth  to  weigh  in  the 
making  of  this  strange  child  of  nature.  The  white  child  brought 
into  the  world  under  a  cloud  of  doubtful  parentage  finds  himself 
burdened  with  what  society  regards  as  a  handicap,  but  no  one 
looked  askant  at  the  little  negro  boy  who  knew  his  mother  as 
Jane,  but  found  no  one  to  answer  to  the  call  of  "  father ;" 
though  he  was  known  to  be  a  white  man. 

His  identity  among  the  slaves  on  the  plantation  was  fixed 
by  the  brief  name  "  Booker."  Nameless  children  were  part  of 
the  institution  of  slavery,  but  unlike  "  Topsy  "  of  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin  fame,  who  "  never  had  no  mudder,"  Booker  knew  his 
mother  and  in  all  of  his  writings  described  her  as  the  "  noblest 
embodiment  of  womanhood  with  whom  I  have  come  in  contact," 
and  declared  that  the  lessons  of  virtue  and  thrift  which  she  in- 


SLAVE  CHILD  WHO  BECAME  A  LEADER.      21 

stilled  in  those  early  days  on  the  plantation  were  never  for 
gotten. 

The  little  Virginia  cabin  was  the  home  of  "  Booker ' 
during  those  troublesome  days  just  before  and  during  the  entire 
four-year  war  which  was  to  make  him  a  free  child  and  send 
him  into  the  highways  and  byways  of  the  world. 

He  was  a  serious  minded  fellow  upon  whom  the  burdens  of 
life  began  to  weigh  early.  The  mutter  ings  among  the  slaves 
who  were  filled  with  hopes  for  their  freedom  were  not  under 
standable  to  "  Booker,"  but  one  of  his  earliest  recollections 
centred  around  an  early  morning  scene  in  the  humble  cabin, 
when  he  awoke  to  find  his  mother  kneeling  in  prayer  over  his 
pallet. 

LIFTS  HER  EYES  TO  HEAVEN  IN  PRAYER. 

Voicing  the  feelings  of  thousands  of  her  people  held  in 
bondage  she  lifted  up  her  eyes  to  heaven  and  prayed: 

"  Oh,  Lord,  save  Massa  Lincoln  and  his  armies,  so  that 
we  cain  be  free!" 

This,  Dr.  Washington  said,  was  the  first  intimation  he 
had  that  he  was  a  slave — and  the  incident  seemed  to  mark  the 
dawn  of  his  intellectual  development. 

A  second  incident  more  vividly  impressed  upon  his  child 
ish  mind  the  fact  that  he  and  his  were  but  human  chattels. 

The  early  morning  sun  painted  the  rough-hewn  cabin  a 
golden  hue  and  the  corn  pone  baked  over  the  open  fire  had 
satiated  the  hunger  of  the  negro  child  who  found  his  way 
toward  one  of  the  houses  in  the  slave  quarter,  when  he  was 
startled  by  the  piteous  cries  of  his  mother's  brother. 

"  Oh,  pray,  massa ;  pray  massa !" 

A  rawhide  thong  swept  through  the  morning  sun  and  fell 
upon  the  bared  back  of  the  boy's  sturdy  uncle  who  was  tied  like 


22      SLAVE  CHILD  WHO  BECAME  A  LEADER. 

some  obstreperous  animal  to  a  monster  tree.  The  boy  did  not 
stop  to  inquire  the  cause  of  the  chastisement.  His  brown  legs 
carried  him  to  the  safer  region  of  his  cabin,  but  the  impression 
made  upon  his  tender  mind  was  one  that  he  declared  was  in 
effaceable. 

Boys  of  his  age  were  not  usually  subjected  to  the  vigorous 
punishment  meted  out  to  the  slaves  who  aroused  their  master's 
wrath  in  those  ante-bellum  days,  but  they  were  not  relieved 
of  the  hardships  that  came  as  a  result  of  the  devastation  of  the 
country  by  the  hordes  of  war. 

NEGRO  HAS  LITTLE  TO  SACRIFICE. 

History  is  replete  with  stories  of  gentle  folk  who  gave  or 
sacrificed  their  all  in  the  support  of  the  cause  in  which  they  be 
lieved.  The  negro  had  little  to  sacrifice,  but  when  "  master ' 
could  no  longer  provide  for  himself  or  family,  his  black  "  pos 
sessions  "  fared  still  worse.  Beginning  his  life  at  this  period 
when  the  North  and  South  were  entering  a  bitter  struggle,  this 
particular  boy  slave — the  Booker  T.  Washington  of  the  future 
— secured  little  of  the  world's  goods  and  for  a  long  period  of 
time  his  entire  wardrobe  consisted  of  a  flax  or  "  tow  "  shirt, 
and  his  single  pair  of  shoes  belonged  to  a  crude  type  of  footwear 
with  wooden  soles. 

The  slave  boy  has  had  his  place  in  the  world's  history  in 
every  age  and  in  every  country.  His  enjoyments  have  been 
restricted  to  the  enjoyments  of  those  around  him.  In  the  plan 
tation  days  his  playground  was  the  barn-yard,  the  shed,  the 
cabin,  the  corn  fields  and  the  wooded  land;  his  playthings 
nature's  own  toys,  and  on  occasions  he  found  opportunity  to 
listen  to  the  singing  of  plantation  melodies  or  watch  the  "  white 
folk,"  in  the  "  big  house/" 

There  came  a  time  when  the  keen  eye  of  the  "  master ' 


SLAVE  CHILD  WHO  BECAME  A  LEADER.      23 

saw  in  "  Booker  "  material  to  be  developed  and  so  it  came  to  pass 
that  "  Jim,"  the  rangy  brown  horse,  found  a  small  brown  figure 
straddling  his  back  along  with  a  big  bag  of  corn.  The  boy  and 
the  corn,  over  which  he  was  custodian,  bounced  up  and  down 
as  the  animal  jogged  over  the  country  road  to  the  mill,  and 
back  again  with  the  corn  turned  into  a  golden  meal  which  was 
destined  to  provide  pone  or  corn  bread  for  the  "  master's  " 
family  and  the  slaves. 

A  BELATED  SLAVE'S  RETURN. 

Once  a  belated  slave  returning  to  the  plantation  from  an 
adjoining  place  found  a  small  boy  seated  beside  the  road  with 
the  end  of  a  halter  strap  in  his  hands.  A  gentle  horse  at  the 
other  end  of  the  halter  was  nibbling  the  green  grass.  Beside 
the  boy  lay  a  large  sack  of  corn-meal.  A  plaintive  voice 
wailed : 

"  The  baig  dun  fall  off.     Mout  yo'  help  we  up  wif  'im?" 

"  Booker  "  returned  to  the  plantation  late  that  night,  tired 
and  supperless,  but  the  supply  of  freshly  ground  meal  was  not 
lost  to  the  "  master." 

Just  what  conclusions  may  be  drawn  from  a  study  of  the 
early  history  of  this  negro  boy  by  students  of  psychology,  so 
ciology  and  kindred  subjects,  who  on  one  hand  hold  that  en 
vironment  is  the  most  important  factor  in  the  development  of 
child  character,  and  on  the  other  that  "heredity/'  will  tell,  is 
somewhat  puzzling  to  contemplate. 

What  inherited  traits  came  to  him  at  an  age  when  other 
boys  were  thinking  of  the  immediate  pleasure  they  could  get 
out  of  life,  to  cause  him  to  crave  an  education?  It  is  true  that 
in  the  agitation  which  came  of  the  abolition  movement  the 
slaves  were  charged  to  prepare  for  their  future  freedom,  and 

their  conception  of  what  constituted  a  preparedness  for  cit- 


24      SLAVE  CHILD  WHO  BECAME  A  LEADER. 

izenship  was  to  be  able  to  read  and  write — to  be  educated. 
It  was  probably  this  influence  which  was  reflected  in  his 
mother's  spirit  when  she  came  to  support  and  help  him  in  his 
ambitions  to  secure  an  education — to  go  to  school. 

A  peep  in  the  open  door  of  the  country  school,  when  as  an 
attendant  he  carried  the  books  of  the  "  misses  "  to  class,  seems 
to  have  been  one  of  the  sources  of  his  early  inspirations.  And 
the  big  event  of  his  boyhood  days  was  marked  by  the  ending  of 
the  war ;  when  he  and  his  mother,  brother  and  sister  were  given 
their  freedom. 

SLAVE  QUESTION  PROBLEMATICAL. 

What  real  knowledge  or  understanding  of  the  slave  ques 
tion  the  boy  may  have  had,  or  any  boy  might  have  at  the 
age  or  eight  or  nine  years,  is  problematical.  It  is  hardly  con 
ceivable  that  he  had  any,  but  it  is  certain  that  a  deep  impres 
sion  was  made  upon  the  mind  of  "  Booker,"  when  at  the  close 
of  the  war  the  slaves  were  called  from  their  quarters  and  as 
sembled  on  the  plantation  in  front  of  the  big  house  to  hear  read 
that  immemorial  document  which  formally  conveyed  to  them 
the  information  that  they  were  free  to  go  where  they  willed. 

No  such  event  had  previously  been  recorded  in  the  history 
of  the  world  as  that  which  marked  his  release  from  bondage. 
A  whole  people  set  free.  Every  slave,  no  matter  how  ignorant, 
had  some  conception  of  what  the  outcome  of  the  war  meant 
to  him.  For  generations  the  black  men  had  viewed  the  con 
ditions  under  which  their  masters  lived.  They  saw  for  them 
selves,  in  their  freedom,  lives  of  comparative  ease  and  affluence ; 
the  end  of  toil  and  strife.  A  word  of  hope  lay  before  them. 
Such  hopes  and  views  wer$  reflected  in  the  discussions  in  the 
slave  quarters,  and  gave  inspiration  to  "  Booker." 

Somehow  he  came  to  realize  that  the  very  process  by  which 


SLAVE  CHILD  WHO  BECAME  A  LEADER.      25 

the  information  as  to  the  freedom  of  his  people  was  conveyed 
to  them — the  formal  reading  of  document — was  in  itself  sig 
nificant.  That  the  ability  to  read  was  a  necessary  requisite. 
He  had  no  childish  books,  and  there  would  have  been  no  one  to 
read  them  to  him  had  they  been  part  of  his  coveted  posses 
sions. 

But  his  attendance  at  the  reading  of  the  document  which 
gave  formal  notice  of  the  severance  of  the  ties  of  bondage  gave 
him  something  to  think  about.  It  was  an  incident  which  fur 
ther  opened  the  door  for  intellectual  development.  While  the 
group  of  slaves  gave  vent  to  their  long  pent  up  feelings,  the  boy's 
mother  bent  over  him  and  with  deep  feeling  whispered : 

"  Honey ,  the  good  Lord  has  answered  yo'  mammy's 
prayer.  Mr.  Lincoln  dun  set  us  free!'' 

A  PERIOD  OF  REJOICING. 

There  was  a  period  of  rejoicing,  followed  by  a  time  in 
which  a  readjustment  of  conditions  was  effected.  Many  of 
:he  slaves  were  re-employed  by  their  old  masters ;  some  even  beg 
ged  to  be  allowed  to  remain  in  their  old  places  without  giving 
any  consideration  to  the  larger  economic  problems  that  con-- 
fronted  them.  The  boy's  mother  was  not  of  those  who  sought 
to  retain  the  old  relationship.  She  had  become  a  unit,  an  indi 
vidual,  in  the  scheme  of  things. 

As  humble  and  inconspicuous  was  his  origin ,  it  is  none  the 
less  true  that  the  boy  was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  at 
a  most  opportune  time.  His  life  proves  that  he  was  the  type 
of  man  who  would  "  find  himself  "  under  almost  any  conditions, 
but  neither  his  mother  nor  those  around  him  could  have  had  any 
idea  of  the  situation  that  would  be  produced  by  the  liberation 
of  the  negro. 

Few  realized  that  the  zealousness  with  which  the  radical 


abolitionists  of  the  North  pressed  their  suit  in  the  interest  of 
the  freed  slaves  would  have  a  far  reaching  influence  which 
would  ultimately  make  the  struggle  for  the  black  men  more  dif 
ficult.  Yet  this  condition  made  the  need  for  such  men  as  the 
boy  was  destined  to  be,  more  urgent,  and  when  there  is  a  great 
need,  in  some  way,  Providence  always  seems  to  provide  it. 

The  Emancipation  Proclamation  had  been  issued  as  a  mili 
tary  measure,  and  while  slavery  had  fallen  to  pieces  at  the  very 
touch  of  President  Lincoln's  pen,  it  became  necessary  later 
for  Congress  to  adopt  an  amendment  to  the  Constitution,  by 
which  slavery  was  abolished  and  forbidden. 

A  STORY  WRITTEN  IN  BLOOD. 

The  story  of  this  period  has  been  written  in  blood.  The 
stain  on  the  page  of  life  was  made  by  the  blood  of  President 
Lincoln,  whose  assassination  came  as  one  act  of  what  proved  to 
have  been  a  conspiracy  to  overthrow  the  government,  for  it  is 
a  notable  fact  too  frequently  overlooked  that  a  murderous  at 
tack  was  made  upon  Secretary  Seward,  of  the  martyred  Presi 
dent's  cabinet,  at  the  same  time  that  John  Wilkes  Booth  enacted 
his  part  in  the  diabolical  drama  in  which  Mr.  Lincoln  was  sacri 
ficed  at  Ford's  Theatre,  in  Washington. 

That  the  South  and  the  freed  negro  lost  their  most  power 
ful  friend  and  ally  in  the  death  of  Lincoln  is  a  matter  of  his 
toric  record. 

He  was  not  vindictive  enough  to  suit  the  radical  abolition 
ists  and  some  stern  leaders  who  sought  to  rule  with  an  iron 
hand,  nor  did  the  attitude  of  President  Johnson,  who  was 
elevated  to  the  Presidency,  meet  with  the  approval  of  this 
element. 

When  he  became  the  Chief  Executive  it  was  feared  that 
President  Johnson  would  pursue  a  course  of  angry  retribution 


SLAVE  CHILD  WHO  BECAME  A  LEADER.      27 

toward  those  who  had  been  engaged  in  the  rebellion.  As  a 
matter  of  fact  this  is  what  a  large  element  hoped  would  be  done, 
and  there  were  drafted  proposed  legislation  measures  which 
world  arbitrarily  elevate  the  negro  to  a  commanding  position. 
Not  only  was  it  proposed  to  give  him  the  franchise  without 
restriction,  but  it  was  even  planned  to  confiscate  the  land  of 
the  white  plantation  owners  and  apportion  some  of  their  land 
among  the  freed  negroes.  Congress  had,  in  its  growing  ani 
mosity  to  President  Johnson,  taken  an  attitude  of  relentless  hos 
tility  to  the  Confederate  Party  of  the  South,  while  the  President 
in  his  efforts  to  carry  out  the  policy  of  President  Lincoln  was 
accused  of  having  deliberately  turned  to  favor  the  partv  of 
the  South. 

A  VITAL  QUESTION  TO  THE  NEGRO. 

Briefly,  the  question  which  was  to  have  such  a  great  effect 
on  the  future  of  the  country  and  the  negro  in  particular  was 
as  to  whether  the  plan  of  reconstruction  be  of  a  military  or 
civil  character.  The  objection  to  the  civil  plan  was  based  on 
the  fear  that  the  enfranchised  negroes  would  form  an  alliance 
with  the  Republicans  of  the  North  and  wield  a  power  that 
would  leave  the  Southern  whites  powerless.  It  was  this  situa 
tion  which  in  the  years  to  follow  made  more  difficult  the  position 
of  the  negro. 

The  military  plan  of  reconstruction  or  reorganization  of 
the  Southern  States,  which  was  authorized  by  an  act  of  Con 
gress,  had  for  its  feature  the  division  of  the  ten  seceded  States 
into  five  military  districts,  each  district  under  control  of  a 
military  governor.  These  had  been  appointed  and  in  some  of 
the  territory  the  service  of  armed  negro  soldiers  was  invoked 
in  the  carrying  out  of  the  plan.  Fortunately  for  the  future  of 
the  country,  President  Johnson  subsequently  issued  orders  to 


28      SLAVE  CHILD  WHO  BECAME  A  LEADER. 

military  commanders  of  the  districts  which  had  the  effect  of 
nullifying  the  whole  plan  and  the  Congressional  plan  of  reor 
ganization  was  followed. 

But  the  fact  that  in  some  sections  armed  negroes,  pre 
viously  slaves,  had  by  force  of  arms  attempted  to  dominate  the 
plantation  owners  who  had  formerly  been  their  masieib,  and 
that  some  grave  charges  of  cruelty  and  barbarity  were  made 
against  the  negroes,  did  not  add  to  their  welcome  into  the  South 
as  citizens. 

GOVERNMENT  FAILS  TO  PROVIDE  FOR  NEGRO. 

Had  the  Government  provided  means  for  helping  the  freed 
negro,  much  of  the  bitterness  that  grew  out  of  the  original 
struggle  would  have  ?  }en  assuaged,  but  the  negro  was  left  to 
look  after  Ms  own  development  and  no  rosy  path  was  left  for 
him  to  follow.  The  fact  that  for  generations  he  had  been  re 
garded  by  a  large  portion  of  the  Southern  people  as  a  creature 
that  needed  no  education  was  a  matter  of  great  influence.  It 
is  difficult  for  a  people  to  change  their  attitude  at  a  moment's 
notice.  Established  precedent  is  a  thing  which  is  always  con 
sidered,  and  so  if  there  was  no  opposition  to  the  negro  in  his 
attempts  to  secure  an  education  and  better  his  condition,  there 
was  for  a  long  time  little  effort  made  to  help  him. 

The  negroes  knew  nothing  of  these  conditions.  In  a  gen 
eral  way  the  slaves  had  been  well  cared  for,  just  as  a  good 
farmer  cares  for  his  live  stock,  and  they  had  yet  to  learn  that 
their  mere  freedom  from  bondage  would  not  give  them  all  that 
they  had  seen  in  their  visions;  that  they  would  face  opposition, 
bitterness,  prejudice  and  hatred,  and  that  laws  are  fundamen 
tally  preventive  measures  and  not  constructive. 

These  conditions  made  urgent  the  need  for  leaders  among 
the  negroes,  if  at  the  same  time  they  made  it  more  difficult  for 


SLAVE  CHILD  WHO  BECAME  A  LEADER.      29 

such  leaders  to  win  recognition.  Certainly  the  boy  who  was 
to  become  one  of  these  leaders — the  foremost  of  his  time — 
could  not  have  realized  the  gigantic  task  that  lay  before  him. 

Sometime  after  his  birth  his  mother  had  married,  and  in  the 
closing  days  of  the  war  her  husband  had  found  his  way  over  the 
hills  and  into  the  soft  coal  district  of  West  Virginia.  He  had 
secured  work  in  the  salt  and  coal  mines  and  thither  the  boy, 
with  his  older  brother  John,  'his  sister  Amanda  and  their 
mother,  went  in  the  logical  course  of  events. 

VIRGINIA  LOSES  ITS  FAVORITE  SON. 

Virginia  was  to  know  "  Booker  "  no  more  as  its  son.  The 
plantation  cabin  was  abandoned.  A  rickety  old  wagon  drawn  by 
two  mules  served  as  a  conveyance  to  transport  the  little  family 
and  their  few  possession  over  the  dusty  roads  and  ridges  intq 
the  adjoining  State.  Their  destination  was  the  little  town  of 
Maiden,  in  Kanawha  County,  West  Virginia. 

Here  again  can  be  traced  the  influence  of  environment  in 
the  life  of  the  boy.  He  entered  an  atmosphere  of  industrialism 
where  direct  material  reward  came  as  the  result  of  working  with 
the  hands.  The  step-father  of  the  boy  was  already  employed 
in  a  salt  furnace  and  by  his  earnings  had  been  able  to  finance  the 
journey  of  his  wife  and  step-children. 

There  was  no  restriction  as  to  child  labor  in  those  far  gone 
days  and  "  Booker  "  and  his  older  brother  soon  found  them 
selves  at  work  in  the  furnaces  or  mines.  This  was  their  pri 
mary  school  of  industrial  training.  Show  a  child  how  he  can 
help  himself  and  he  is  quick  to  grasp  the  situation.  The  lessons 
the  boy  received  in  this  hard  school  served  him  all  the  days  of 
his  life  and  gave  him  the  inspiration  which  made  of  him  an 
educational  pioneer  among  his  people. 

Sometime  after  the  little  family  was  settled  in  a  typical 


30      SLAVE  CHILD  WHO  BECAME  A  LEADER. 

negro  cabin  in  the  town  of  Maiden,  another  incident  occurred 
which  influenced  the  boy's  life.  There  came  from  the  Ohio 
River  district  a  colored  youth  who  had  a  measure  of  education. 
These  were  stirring  times  and  there  was  deep  interest  evinced 
by  all  classes  in  the  news  that  emanated  from  Washington  and 
the  centers  of  information  North  and  South. 

One  day  on  his  way  to  work  "  Booker  "  came  upon  the 
colored  youth  who  had  had  the  advantage  of  a  meagre  education, 
reading  to  a  group  of  workers.  The  colored  youth  sat  upon 
a  box,  surrounded  by  a  considerable  number  of  negroes  of  all 
ages.  There  came  to  the  boy  a  memory  of  the  reading  of  that 
final  decree  which  made  him  free. 

DISCUSSES  A  STRONG  EDUCATIONAL  DESIRE. 

On  his  return  home  he  discussed  with  his  mother  and  his 
step- father  the  means  by  which  he  might  be  taught  to  read.  It 
is  part  of  his  life-record  that  he  always  credited  his  mother 
with  an  earnest  desire  to  aid  him  in  his  efforts  to  secure  an  ed 
ucation. 

'  Mammy,"  he  said  to  her,  in  his  childish  earnestness,  "  Ah 
wants  to  read  like  dat  colo'd  boy." 

This  appeal  was  answered  by  his  mother  securing  for  him 
an  old  primary  "  speller,"  over  which  he  pondered  and  studied 
at  odd  moments  while  at  work  and  about  home.  The  rela 
tionship  between  industrial  efficiency  and  intellectual  attain 
ments  was  at  this  formative  period  in  his  career  brought  vividly 
to  his  attention  in  the  furnace  where  his  step-father  was  em 
ployed. 

It  was  observed  by  the  boy  that  the  barrels  of  salt  were 
marked  with  large  figures  and  letters  and  he  learned  that  these 
markings  were  used  to  check  up  the  work  and  the  men,  and  that 
the  barrels  handled  by  his  step-father  were  all  marked  with  the 


SLAVE  CHILD  WHO  BECAME  A  LEADER.      31 

figures  "  eighteen/'  so  that  the  number  which  passed  through 
his  hands  could  be  checked.  These  barrels  served  as  what  might 
be  termed  a  supplementary  text  book.  "  Booker  "  learned  to 
read  the  numbers  and  understand  something  of  their  signi 
ficance. 

About  this  time  the  necessity  for  securing  education  so  that 
they  might  be  able  to  make  their  way  became  a  burning  issue 
with  the  colored  people,  and  a  colored  soldier  who  had  received 
some  education  and  found  his  way  into  the  Kanawha  Valley 
was  induced  to  start  a  school  or  conduct  some  classes.  The 
question  of  education  became  a  general  subject  of  discussion. 
Here  again  "  Booker's  "  ambition  was  fired,  and  as  is  often 
the  case,  some  difficulty  which  he  encountered  in  securing  per 
mission  or  at  least  the  time  to  attend  the  sessions  of  the  school 
only  intensified  his  desires. 

THE  BOY'S  VALUE  AS  A  WAGE  EARNER. 

The  boy's  value  as  a  wage  earner  was  the  obstacle  to  his 
attending  school.  The  need  for  money  was  such  that  his  step 
father  did  not  feel  that  he  could  spare  him  from  work,  and  again 
there  arose  a  situation  which  showed  its  influence  in  later  years. 
The  boy  who  was  to  become  the  negro  educator  of  the  future 
learned  the  value  of  the  night  school. 

The  manner  in  which  he  met  situations  and  the  incidents 
of  his  life  at  this  period  reflect  the  spirit  which  enabled  him 
to  make  such  remarkable  progress  under  adverse  circumstances. 
They  reveal  an  ability  to  adapt  to  unusual  conditions;  show 
that  he  was  ingenious,  persevering  and  quick  to  take  advantage 
of  an  opening.  Also  that  he  possessed  foresight — a  vision — 
which  directed  his  efforts  into  the  channels  through  which  he 
was  best  able  to  attain  success. 

He  had  no  false  pride;  nothing  to  deter  him  from  doing 


that  which  was  set  before  him.  Nothing  within  himself  stood 
in  the  way  of  his  realizing  something  of  his  consuming  ambi 
tion.  When  he  could  not  attend  day  school,  he  induced  his 
mother  and  step-father  to  arrange  for  him  to  attend  night 
classes.  The  little  speller  was  mastered.  A  little  later  he 
managed  to  gain  an  opportunity  to  attend  day  school,  and  in 
this  connection  two  incidents  of  his  boyhood  career  furnish  an 
interesting  view  of  his  characteristics. 

The  recital  of  these  incidents  is  as  important  to  the  telling 
of  his  life-story  as  the  "  hatchet  and  cherry  tree  "  incident  is  to 
the  life  of  Washington,  the  Father  of  His  Country;  or  the  "  rail- 
splitting  "  incident  is  to  that  of  Lincoln,  the  Emancipator. 

JUST  PLAIN  "  BOOKER." 

A  small  negro  boy  did  not  count  for  much  in  the  ante-bellum 
days,  and  up  to  the  time  when  his  "  schooling  "  actually  began, 
the  boy  who  was  to  become  a  leader  among  his  people  was  just 
plain  "  Booker."  Who  he  might  be  had  never  had  any  signifi 
cance  in  his  scheme  of  things.  He  had  never  asked,  nor  had  his 
interest  been  aroused  by  any  inquiries  as  to  his  antecedents. 
He  was  somewhat  perturbed,  therefore,  upon  entering  school1 
to  find  that  the  pupils  when  called  upon  to  give  their  names  for 
enrollment  had  a  quota  of  at  least  two  names — a  Christian  and 


surname. 

it 


What  is  your  name?"  queried  the  colored  school  teacher. 

The  boy  knew  the  story  of  Washington.  It  had  been 
handed  down  through  all  the  circles  of  slavery,  and  Washington 
was  a  Virginian.  More  timorous  lads  might  have  hesitated, 
but  not  so  in  his  case. 

"  Booker  Washington,"  he  said,  giving  the  familiar  name 
by  which  he  was  known  and  taking  to  himself  that  other  proud 
est  name  in  history. 


SLAVE  CHILD  WHO  BECAME  A  LEADER.      33 

Afterwards,  according  to  his  own  story,  he  learned  that  on 
his  birth  his  mother  had  named  him  Booker  Taliaferro.  There 
upon  he  revised  his  name  and  became  Booker  Taliaferro  Wash 
ington. 

Thus  there  came  into  being  the  second  Washington  in  his 
tory,  concerning  which  fact  Andrew  Carnegie  once  made  the 
comment  that  history  would  sometime  tell  of  two  Washingtons 
— one  white,  the  other  black — both  fathers  of  their  peoples. 

The  incident  of  his  naming  also  called  forth  the  comment 
from  Ambassador  Choate,  who,  on  introducing  the  negro  edu 
cator  in  the  height  of  his  career,  said : 

PRIVILEGE  OF  CHOOSING  HIS  NAME, 

"  Dr.  Washington  is  one  of  the  few  Americans  who  has 
been  granted  the  privilege  of  choosing  his  own  name,  in  the 
exercise  of  which  privilege  he  very  naturally  selected  the  very 
best  in  the-list." 

But  it  was  years  before  these  things  were  to  come  to  pass. 
He  must  first  work  out  his  destiny  in  the  mines  and  furnaces  and 
complete  his  education.  The  Commonwealth  provided  no  text 
books  for  the  pupils  and, there  was  not  available  to  those  in  his 
circumstances  any  wide  choice  of  books. 

The  Bible  has  always  occupied  a  conspicuous  place  in  the 
educational  development  of  people  and  it  served  well  in  the  Kan- 
awha  Valley.  It  is  a  matter  of  historic  fact  that  many  negroes 
first  learned  to  read  that  they  might  be  able  to  peruse  the  Bible 
and  study  the  Word  of  God. 

The  Bible  came  into  the  life  of  young  Washington  of  a 
Sunday,  when  a  God-fearing  old  colored  man  found  him  playing 
marbles  on  the  unpaved  streets  of  Maiden  with  some  other  boys, 
and  chided  him  for  not  attending  Sunday  School.  The  ven 
erable  man  told  the  boys  about  the  Sunday  School — preached  a 

3-W 


34      SLAVE  CHILD  WHO  BECAME  A  LEADER. 

wayside  service — and  so  influenced  them  that  Washington  at 
least  abandoned  his  marbles  and  found  his  way  to  the  place  of 
worship,  where  in  later  years  he  became  a  teacher. 

Another  incident,  which  Dr.  Washington  himself  related 
in  a  somewhat  apologetic  manner,  referred  to  his  strenuous 
efforts  to  obtain  the  coveted  opportunity  to  attend  the  regular 
day  school  in  Maiden.  He  was  still  working  in  the  saltfurnace 
and  had  secured  permission  to  attend  the  school  sessions  with 
the  understanding  that  he  arise  early  and  perform  part  of  his 
day's  work  before  the  school  opened. 

The  school  house  was  at  some  distance  from  the  furnace 
and  young  Washington  found  it  difficult  to  complete  his  work 
and  reach  the  school  house  in  time  for  his  lessons. 

Dr.  Washington  in  relating  the  incident  said: 

YIELDS  TO  STRONG  TEMPTATION. 

"  To  get  around  the  difficulty  I  yielded  to  a  temptation  for 
which  people  may  condemn  me.  There  was  a  clock  in  the  office 
of  the  furnace  by  which  the  hundreds  of  men  regulated  their 
working  hours.  In  some  way  I  conceived  the  idea  of  turning 
the  hands  from  the  half -past-eight  mark  up  to  the  nine-o'clock 
mark.  This  I  continued  to  do  until  the  furnace  boss  dis 
covered  there  was  something  wrong  and  locked  the  clock  in  a 


case." 


This  incident  might  be  regarded  by  some  as  furnishing 
ground  for  the  belief  that  there  was  a  tendency  to  deceive,  and 
Dr.  Washington  was  not  proud  of  the  fact ;  but  the  vital  thing 
is  that  it  again  made  manifest  the  anxiety  which  the  youth  felt 
about  his  education,  and  that  he  had  a  determination  to  con 
tinue  his  studies,  in  view  of  which  the  results  make  it  apparent 
that  the  little  disregard  of  the  ordinary  code  of  ethics  is  insig 
nificant.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  would  be  strange  if  he  were  not 


SLAVE  CHILD  WHO  BECAME  A  LEADER.      35 

guilty  of  many  minor  violations,  since  the  influences  that  were 
at  work  around  him  were  not  such  as  to  inspire  high  ideals. 

During  his  employment  in  the  furnaces  and  in  the  soft 
coal  mines,  his  attendance  at  school  was  somewhat  irregular. 
Now  he  received  instruction  from  a  teacher  at  night ;  again  he 
was  able  to  attend  the  day  sessions  of  the  regular  school.  Some- 
times  he  went  to  night-school,  but  always  he  continued  to  study. 
Sometimes,  when  after  considerable  effort,  with  the  assistance 
of  his  father  and  mother  he  had  secured  the  services  of  what 
might  be  termed  a  tutor  to  instruct  him  after  working  hours,  he 
found  that  the  teacher  knew  little,  if  anything,  more  than  he 
did. 

ANOTHER  STEP  IN  THE  MARCH  OF  PROGRESS. 

Another  step  in  the  march  of  progress  was  marked  at  the 
end  of  a  period  of  approximately  seven  years  by  the  employment 
of  young  Washington  as  a  house-boy  in  the  home  of  General 
Lewis  Ruffner,  owner  of  the  furnace  and  salt  mine  in  which  he 
had  been  laboring. 

Here  again  the  effect  of  "  industrial  training  "  was  felt 
by  young  Washington.  Other  boys  who  had  preceded  him  in 
the  position  which  he  now  secured  through  the  efforts  of  his 
mother,  had  remained  on  the  job  but  a  short  time.  They  had  de 
clared  Mr.  Ruffner  a  hard  "  task-master."  Young  Washing 
ton  was  engaged  at  a  wage  of  $5.00  a  month. 

The  difficulties  of  the  job  proved  to  be  a  matter  of  doing 
the  work  properly;  and  Mrs.  Ruffner  was  particular.  Dr. 
Washington  in  his  remininscences  says  that  he  found  the  place 
trying,  so  much  so  that  he  once  ran  away  and  secured  a  job 
on  a  river  steamer  as  waiter,  but  the  captain  of  the  boat,  bound 
for  Cincinnati,  found  that  he  knew  nothing  about  waiting. 

When  he  returned  from  the  steamer  he  went  back  to  Mrs, 


36      SLAVE  CHILD  WHO  BECAME  A  LEADER. 

Ruffner  with  whom  he  remained  for  several  years.  There  was 
no  relief  from  hard  work  for  young  Washington,  now  that  he 
was  out  of  the  mines  and  furnace. 

He  found  that  Mrs.  Ruffner  demanded  a  carefully  kept 
lawn;  a  well-attended  garden,  from  which  he  sold  vegetables 
to  the  residents  of  the  village.  His  training  in  this  school  of 
life  gave  him  an  insight  into  the  best  manner  of  living,  in  its 
broader  sense.  Mrs.  Ruffner  was  a  careful  housekeeper  and 
he  learned  to  be  orderly  under  her  direction.  The  sale  of 
fruit  and  vegetables  from  the  Ruffner  place  also  gave  him  some 
valuable  experience  in  the  markets. 

After  he  had  impressed  his  employer  with  his  earnestness, 
there  came  a  time  when  he  was  permitted  to  again  attend  the  day 
sessions  of  school,  and  Mrs.  Ruffner  aided  him  in  his  efforts 
to  secure  an  education. 

DIFFERENCE  BETWEEN  "BOOKER"  AND  OTHER  BOYS. 

Just  as  this  point  is  marked  in  no  uncertain  degree  the 
difference  between  Booker  T.  Washington  and  other  colored 
boys.  Thousands  of  youths  in  a  similiar  situation  have  served 
as  house  boys,  attendants  and  servants.  But  young  Washing 
ton's  ambitions  and  vision  carried  him  beyond  this.  His  work 
at  the  Ruffner  home  and  in  the  mines  were  but  preparatory  to 
his  future  life-work  and  training. 

During  his  employment  for  a  short  period  in  the  coal  mines 
he  had  heard  some  miners  discussing  the  negro  problem  and  ex 
press  opinions  about  Hampton  Institute,  an  industrial  school 
at  Hampton,  Virginia. 

The  thing  about  this  conversation  that  stirred  young 
Washington  was  the  fact  that  the  men  said  it  was  a  school  where 
young  colored  men  and  women  were  admitted.  Here  he  saw 
visions  of  securing  the  sort  of  an  education  he  craved.  Forth- 


SLAVE  CHILD  WHO  BECAME  A  LEADER.      37 

with  he  began  making  plans  to  enter  that  now  famous  institu 
tion. 

Again  he  sought  the  aid  of  his  mother  in  his  ambitions,  and 
she  responded.  His  step-father,  too,  and  older  brother  John, 
appreciated  his  positoin  and  set  about  making  it  possible  for  him 
to  realize  his  hopes.  The  family  purse  was  not  large,  but  in 
quiry  brought  the  information  that  an  industrious  youth  might 
be  given  opportunity  to  work  out  part  of  his  board  at  the  school. 
This  knowledge  furnished  the  inspiration  for  the  final  decision, 
and  Maiden  was  to  lose  the  ambitious  colored  youth  for  a  time. 


CHAPTER  II. 

MATRICULATING  IN  COLLEGE  WITH  A  BROOM. 

THE  picture  which  is  provided  of  the  promising  young 
negro  in  October,  1872,  is  that  of  a  poorly  clad,  some 
what  gaunt  youth,  tramping  or  riding  over  ridges  and 
across  part  of  the  beautiful  Shenandoah  Valley,  on  his  way  to 
Richmond.  His  total  wealth  was  insufficient  to  pay  his  fare 
by  stage  or  railroad  to  his  destination,  even  had  there  been  a 
through  service.  The  total  distance  from  the  Kanawha  Valley, 
left  in  the  distance,  to  Hampton,  is  upward  of  five  hundred 
miles. 

Young  Washington  had  never  been  at  any  great  distance 
from  his  cabin  homes,  and  he  had  not  had  any  opportunity  to 
face  some  of  the  embarrassments  which  the  negro  was  destined 
to  encounter.  The  traveler,  after  a  journey  over  mountains 
and  hills,  experienced  his  first  shock  when  at  a  little  road-side 
inn  where  the  stage  stopped,  he  found  that  his  color  was  a  bar 
to  his  securing  lodgings  along  with  the  white  passengers  who 
had  made  part  of  the  trip  in  the  coach  with  him. 

When  at  last  after  several  days  of  traveling  he  finally 
reached  Richmond,  Virginia,  it  was  evening.  He  was  without 
funds  and  the  city  with  its  seven  hills  held  little  of  promise  for 
him.  He  had  never  been  in  the  city — in  fact  had  never  been  at 
any  great  distance  from  the  lowly  cottage  of  his  mother.  He 
had  not  the  price  with  which  to  purchase  the  simplest  sort  of  a 
meal.  Here  under  the  blue  skies  and  shining  stars  he  stood 
alone,  almost  under  the  shadow  of  the  executive  headquarters 
of  that  leader  of  the  Confederate  movement  which  was  in  oppo 
sition  to  the  freeing  of  the  slaves,  of  which  he  was  one.  The 

38 


MATRICULATING  IN  COLLEGE.  39 

old  mansion,  with  its  massive  pillars  in  which  Jefferson  Davis 
held  forth,  was  silent  and  abandoned.  A  short  distance  away 
was  the  site  of  the  horrible  necessity  of  the  war — Libby  prison. 
On  every  hand  he  might  have  noted  things  which  marked  the 
course  of  that  terriffic  struggle  which  ultimately  brought  him 
freedom. 

Weary  he  walked  the  streets  until  far  into  the  night  until 
finally  hungry  and  exhausted  he  found  himself  at  a  spot  where 
the  old-fashioned  plank  side-walk  was  elevated.  The  hole  under 
the  board  walk  suggested  a  place  of  sheltered  rest,  and  when  he 
was  sure  that  no  one  was  watching  him,  he  crawled  under  the 
boards  and  slept,  using  his  small  satchel  containing  his  few 
precious  belongings,  as  a  pillow. 

WHERE  THERE'S  A  WILL  THERE'S  A  WAY. 

When  he  awoke  it  was  light  and  he  found  that  he  had 
chosen  as  his  place  of  refuge  a  spot  not  far  from  the  banks  of 
the  James  River.  At  a  wharf  near  at  hand  he  saw  a  vessel  from 
which  was  being  unloaded  pig  iron.  Strong  in  the  belief  that 
where  there  is  a  will  there  is  a  way,  young  Washington  sought 
the  captain  of  the  boat  and  asked  for  work. 

His  sleep  had  refreshed  him  and  though  he  had  been  long 
without  food  he  labored  diligently  and  earned  sufficient  money 
with  which  to  buy  breakfast.  So  satisfactory  was  his  work  that 
the  captain  continued  to  employ  him,  and  for  a  number  of  days 
young  Washington  labored  and  saved  that  he  might  have  suffi 
cient  funds  to  carry  him  to  Hampton,  less  than  one  hundred 
miles  away.  As  a  matter  of  economy  he  continued  to  sleep 
under  the  friendly  board  walk  each  night  while  in  the  city. 

His  labors  on  the  wharf  having  brought  him  enough  money 
to  pay  his  fare  to  Hampton,  he  bade  the  captain  farewell; 
started  on  his  interrupted  trip,  and  arrived  without  further 


40  MATRICULATING  IN  COLLEGE. 

difficulty.  His  store  of  wealth,  Dr.  Washington  said,  consisted 
at  that  time  of  precisely  fifty  cents.  Ordinarily  that  is  not  an 
amount  of  money  that  would  encourage  a  youth  without  friends 
to  face  the  heads  of  an  educational  institution,  where  a  charge 
is  made  for  tuition  and  board.  But  young  Washington  did 
not  propose  that  a  little  thing  like  the  lack  of  capital  should 
interfere  with  his  plan. 

With  scarcely  any  preliminaries  he  sought  the  school  and 
gazed  with  admiration  upon  what  to  him  was  the  greatest  in 
stitution  in  the  world.  His  eager  eyes  saw  a  somewhat  plain 
but  substantial  brick  building,  three  stories  high. 

A  THING  OF  BEAUTY  TO  HIS  IMAGINATION. 

To  the  boy  in  ordinary  circumstances  there  is  nothing  par-< 
ticularly  inspiring  or  unusual  about  the  type  of  building  upon 
which  young  Washington's  gaze  fell  at  Hampton,  but  to  him 
it  was  a  thing  of  beauty  which  stirred  his  imagination.  It  was 
as  though  some  fairy  had  waved  her  wand  and  out  of  the  brown 
earth  raised  up  the  place  he  wished  for.  His  dream  had  been 
crystalized  into  a  reality.  He  was  to  go  to  a  school. 

Without  any  preliminary  preparations  he  presented  himself 
to  the  head  teacher  and  sought  admission  and  assignment  to  a 
class.  Her  answer  was  not  assuring.  After  asking  the  usual 
questions  propounded  to  those  who  sought  entrance,  she  left  him 
in  fact,  without  making  a  definite  decision.  Other  students 
were  received  and  passed  in  and  there  was  a  period  of  suspense 
and  anxiety. 

What  if  he  had  made  that  trying  journey  for  naught. 
Surely,  he,  who  had  struggled  so  hard,  and  who  had  the  self- 
confidence  and  consciousness  that  he  had  progressed,  was  as 
worthy  as  tnose  others  to  whom  the  doors  of  opportunity  were 
opening  while  he  stood  on  the  threshold. 


MATRICULATING  IN  COLLEGE.  41 

Again  there  came  the  chance  for  him  to  meet  an  unusual 
and  urgent  situation.  His  speculations  came  abruptly  to  an 
end.  The  teacher  was  addressing  him : 

"  The  adjoining  recitation  room  needs  sweeping.  Take  the 
broom  and  sweep  it." 

That  was  to  be  his  examination.  Could  he  sweep  ?  Could 
he  work?  Was  he  worthy  of  admittance? 

Never  had  he  received  an  order  to  perform  a  task  with  a 
greater  degree  of  confidence  and  satisfaction.  The  lessons 
he  had  received  from  Mrs.  Ruffner  in  Maiden  had  been  thor 
ough.  He  was  prepared  to  take  the  examination. 

BROOM,  DUST  CLOTH  AND  CLEANING  RAGS. 

The  broom  and  dust  cloth,  or  cleaning  rags  were  seized 
and  seldom  has  a  school  room  been  given  a  more  thorough  and 
careful  cleaning.  Desks,  benches,  tables;  every  piece  of  fur 
niture,  the  walls  and  wood  work  were  gone  over  with  exacti 
tude.  The  young  Washington  had  done  his  best.  He  knew 
that  in  a  measure  his  future  depended  upon  the  manner  in  which 
he  performed  his  work. 

It  is  not  every  youth  who  is  called  upon  to  prove  his  quali 
fication  for  entrance  to  school  or  college — to  matriculate  with 
a  broom — but  that  was  the  unusual  experience  of  Booker  T. 
Washington.  He  passed  the  entrance  examination. 

The  head  teacher  was  a  careful  woman.  She  knew  where 
to  look  for  dirt,  and  she  proceeded  to  do  so.  The  corners  of 
the  rooms  and  places  too  frequently  neglected  by  cleaners  were 
examined.  When  she  had  finished  her  inspection  the  hoped  for 
decision  was  pronounced  without  further  delay. 

"  I  guess  you  will  do  to  enter  Hampton  Institute." 

This  was  the  verbal  entrance  certificate  he  received. 

Thus  was  marked  one  of  the  climaxes  in  the  history  of  his 


42  MATRICULATING  IN  COLLEGE. 

early  efforts  to  secure  an  education.  Frequently  men  discover 
too  late  in  life  that  their  failure  to  accomplish  worth  while  things 
is  due  to  an  effort  to  fit  a  round  plug  into  a  square  hole.  In 
the  case  of  Dr.  Washington,  it  is  significant  that  he  seems  never 
to  have  sought  to  engage  in  a  pursuit  for  which  he  was  not 
fitted.  From  the  beginning  he  apparently  knew  what  he  wanted 
to  do,  and  he  proceeded  to  do  it.  He  chased  no  fleeting  rain 
bows. 

At  Hampton  Institute  he  found  an  environment  admirably 
suited  to  his  development  along  logical  lines.  His  early 
struggles  and  work  enabled  him  to  appreciate  the  value  of  in 
dustrial  training  and  education.  And  if  he  needed  further  in 
spiration,  it  was  unquestionably  provided  by  the  atmosphere  at 
Hampton. 

INSTITUTE  FOR  EDUCATING  NEGROES  AND  INDIANS. 

The  Institute,  which  has  for  its  purpose  the  education  and 
training  of  negroes  and  Indians,  occupies  the  site  of  the  Hamp 
ton  Hospital,  one  of  the  military  hospitals  of  the  Civil  War. 
It  stands  on  a  plantation  of  several  hundred  acres,  not  far  from 
the  spot  where  the  first  negro  slaves  were  sold  in  America,  and 
on  the  site  of  the  Indian  village  of  Kecoughtan,  from  which  the 
red  men  were  driven  by  the  first  white  settlers. 

The  school  was  started  under  the  auspices  of  the  American 
Missionary  Association,  with  General  Samuel  Chapman  Arm 
strong  in  charge,  and  was  originally  designed  for  the  educa 
tion  of  the  children  of  ex-slaves,  but  subsequently  opened  its 
doors  to  the  children  of  America's  red  men. 

The  aim  of  the  institution  as  specifically  set  forth  by 
General  Armstrong  is  "  To  train  selected  youth  who  shall  go 
out  and  teach  and  lead  their  people,  first  by  example,  by  getting 
land  and  homes ;  to  give  them  not  a  dollar  that  they  can  earn 


MATRICULATING  IN  COLLEGE.  43 

for  themselves;  to  teach  respect  for  labor;  to  replace  stupid 
drudgery  with  skilled  hands;  and  to  those  ends  to  build  up  an 
industrial  system,  for  the  sake  not  only  of  self-support  and  in 
telligent  labor,  but  also  for  the  sake  of  character." 

The  influence  which  the  years  at  Hampton  had  on  the 
life  of  young  Washington  are  revealed  in  the  crystalizing  of 
his  ideals  in  the  world-famous  institution  which  he  later  builded 
and  left  as  a  monument  to  his  memory — Tuskegee  Institute. 

MENTAL  AND  PHYSICAL  MACHINE. 

He  learned  at  Hampton  that  the  most  efficient  human 
machine  is  that  in  which  mental  and  physical  are  developed 
together.  That  genius  of  mind  must  accompany  capability  of 
hands.  One  lesson  he  learned  when  he  was  put  to  the  test  of 
sweeping  the  recitation  room  was  that  he  won  because  he  proved 
himself  capable  of  doing  things  with  his  hands.  Though  the 
head  teacher,  Miss  Mary  F.  Mackie,  who  gave  him  the  test  did 
not  say  so,  she  might  have  told  him  that  the  ability  to  do  things 
reflected  the  ability  to  think. 

In  this  instance  his  efficient  work  not  only  opened  the  doors 
of  the  institution  to  him  but  gave  him  a  decided  advantage. 
His  efforts  secured  for  him  the  almost  immediate  appointment 
to  the  post  of  janitor,  which  enabled  him  to  earn  his  board. 
The  school  aimed,  then,  as  it  does  now,  to  "  help  those  who  help 
themselves/'  and  so,  while  he  had  not  sufficient  means  to  pay 
for  his  tuition,  his  earnest  efforts  won  forjhim  the  sympathy 
and  support  of  his  instructors  and  his  tuition  was  paid  by  one 
of  the  contributors  to  the  institution — Mr.  S.  Griffiths  Morgan, 
of  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  who  later  became  a  supporter  of  Dr. 
Washington  in  his  own  educational  work. 

There  was  nothing  very  regular  or  orderly  about  the  lives 
of  the  negroes  in  the  homes  with  which  young  Washington  was 


44  MATRICULATING  IN  COLLEGE. 

familiar  at  the  time  he  entered  this  school.  It  opened  a  new 
world  to  him.  He  found  things  that  he  had  never  dreamed  of, 
The  bath-tub  and  the  tooth-brush  had  no  place  in  his  experiences 
No  snow-white  table-cloth  had  ever  decked  the  dining  board 
in  his  humble  home,  or  in  the  homes  of  his  friends;  and  the 
napkin,  if  he  had  ever  heard  of  it,  was  a  thing  in  name  only. 
He  was  a  stranger  too,  to  clean,  white  sheets  on  his  bed. 

LEARNS  THE  USE  OF  A  BATH-TUB. 

In  all  his  teachings  in  after  years,  Dr.  Washington  de 
clared  that  one  of  the  most  valuable  lessons  he  then  received 
was  in  the  use  of  the  bath-tub,  because  he  learned  for  the  first 
time  its  value,  not  only  as  a  means  of  keeping  the  body  healthy, 
but  also  as  an  agency  for  inspiring  self-respect  and  promoting 
virtue. 

His  early  recognition  of  the  fundamentals  underlying  these 
practices  proves  that  he  was  an  advanced  thinker,  for  it  is  only 
within  comparatively  recent  years  that  the  public  educators  in 
general  have  come  to  realize  the  necessity  of  making  it  part  of 
their  duty  to  touch  upon  such  personal  topics  in  dealing  with  the 
children  who  come  to  them  for  instruction.  The  fact  that  tooth 
brushes  were  given  to  all  the  children  in  the  New  York  public 
schools  at  one  time  on  a  quite  recent  occasion,  when  the  pupils 
were  receiving  instruction  in  the  use  of  the  brushes  as  an  in 
cidental  to  a  lesson  in  hygiene,  proves  by  contrast  that  Dr. 
Washington  was  something  of  an  analyst — that  he  studied 
cause  and  effect. 

Without  any  effort  at  dramatic  effect;  in  the  simplest, 
straightforward  manner,  the  young  Washington  of  Hampton, 
told  in  after  years  as  the  recognized  educator,  how  he  possessed 
but  one  pair  of  socks — he  says  socks,  too,  not  half  hose — 
and  washed  them  out  each  night  before  he  retired  after  his 


MATRICULATING  IN  COLLEGE.  45 

day's  work  and  studies  were  completed.  Certainly  his  family 
was  not  blessed  with  an  extra  supply  of  worldly  goods.  In 
fact,  at  the  end  of  his  first  year  at  Hampton,  he  still  owed  some 
thing  over  sixteen  dollars  on  his  board,  and  could  not  get  suffi 
cient  money  to  return  to  his  home  for  vacation.  Nor  were 
there  any  summer  schools  in  those  days,  where  he  might,  by 
continuing  work  in  connection  with  his  studies,  pass  the  vaca 
tion  period  in  advantageous  study  and  employment. 

SUPPORTS  HIMSELF  IN  MEAGRE  WAY. 

He  was  able  to  support  himself  in  a  meagre  sort  of  way  by 
waiting  in  a  restaurant  at  Fortress  Monroe,  but  he  was  com 
pelled  to  return  to  Hampton  without  funds  to  pay  off  his  indebt 
edness,  and  gained  admission  for  the  second  term  by  throw 
ing  himself  on  the  mercy  of  the  authorities  and  explaining  his 
position.  It  was  during  this  second  year  at  the  school  that 
young  Washington  began  to  exhibit  evidences  of  that  ability 
to  organize  and  lead  which  subsequently  gave  him  the  oppor 
tunity  which  made  him  famous. 

The  debating  societies  in  the  institution  were  a  source  of 
great  delight  to  him,  and  it  is  said  that  he  never  missed  attend 
ing  one  of  the  meetings.  His  interest  in  the  debates  and  in 
public  speaking  caused  him  to  organize  among  his  fellow  stu 
dents  a  semi-official  debating  organization,  whereby  the  short 
period  which  elapsed  between  supper  hour  and  the  time  to  begin 
the  evening  studies  was  utilized  in  debating  many  subjects. 
Young  Washington  was  a  leader  in  these  sessions,  though  stu 
dents  from  all  classes  and  of  all  ages  participated. 

The  seriousness  with  which  he  attacked  his  work  and  the 
manner  in  which  he  viewed  it,  is  in  contrast  to  the  manner  in 
which  it  is  sometimes  regarded  to-day  by  young  men  who  are 
fortunate  enough  to  have  the  advantage  of  a  college  education. 


46  MATRICULATING  IN  COLLEGE. 

At  the  end  of  his  second  year  in  school  with  the  assistance  of 
his  older  brother  John,  who  still  worked  in  the  mines  at  Maiden, 
and  with  some  help  from  his  mother,  he  was  able  to  return  to 
his  old  home  during  vacation. 

INTERESTING  SIDE-LIGHTS  ON  HIS  CHARACTER. 

His  own  recital  of  his  experiences  on  his  return  furnishes 
interesting  side-lights  on  his  character  at  a  time  when  most 
students  of  his  age  would  be  looking  forward  only  to  a  good 
time.  "  The  rejoicing  on  the  part  of  all  classes  of  colored 
people,  and  particularly  the  older  ones,  was  pathetic,"  he  says 
in  some  of  his  writings.  He  was  compelled  to  pay  a  visit  to 
each  family,  to  take  a  meal  with  each  and  to  recite  his  exper 
iences  at  the  school.  He  was  called  upon  to  speak  in  the  Baptist 
Sunday  School,  which  he  had  attended  before  he  started  on  his 
memorable  journey,  as  well  as  tell  about  the  work  at  Hampton 
in  public  addresses  elsewhere.  At  this  early  age  he  had  be 
come  a  pioneer,  who  was  pointing  the  way  to  his  own  people. 
It  has  been  said  that  a  prophet  is  not  without  honor,  save  in 
his  own  country,  but  young  Washington  seems  to  have  been  the 
exception  to  the  rule. 

In  fact  he  seems  to  have  exemplified  that  famous  aphorism 
'  If  a  man  can  preach  a  better  sermon,  write  a  better  book  or 
build  a  better  mouse-trap  than  his  neighbor,  though  his  habita 
tion  be  a  cabin  in  the  woods,  people  will  eventually  seek  him  out, 
and  one  day  he  will  find  a  beaten  path  to  his  door." 

People  were  already  "  finding  him  out." 

His  efforts  to  find  employment  on  his  return  were  not 
entirely  successful,  and  to  add  to  the  burdens  which  he  was  at 
tempting  to  shoulder,  his  mother  who  had  supported  him  in  his 
efforts  to  advance  himself,  was  suddenly  stricken.  He  had 
found  work  in  a  coal  mine  some  distance  from  his  home.  Dur- 


MATRICULATING  IN  COLLEGE.  47 

ing  his  absence  she  suffered  an  attack  and  died  before  he  re 
turned  home.  In  fact,  he  had  stopped  in  an  abandoned  house 
to  rest  on  his  foot-journey  home,  and  was  found  by  his  elder 
brother  asleep  in  the  unoccupied  building. 

The  death  of  his  mother  left  the  home  in  command  of  his 
sister,  who  was  unable  to  shoulder  the  burden  and  the  remainder 
of  his  vacation  was  not  filled  with  happiness.  The  circum 
stances  under  which  he  was  compelled  to  struggle,  were  in  fact 
so  difficult  that  Dr.  Washington  years  afterward  said,  that  he 
felt  at  the  time  as  though  he  was  destined  not  to  complete  his 
education.  However,  he  continued  to  work  intermittently  in 
the  mines,  and  Mrs.  Ruffner,  who  in  his  earlier  boyhood  days 
had  showed  her  appreciation  of  his  efforts,  re-employed  him  for 
a  time,  so  that  he  was  able  to  save  sufficient  money  to  take  him 
back  to  the  school. 

REQUESTED  TO  RETURN   TO  HAMPTON. 

In  this  connection  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  regard 
he  had  won  at  the  school  by  his  earnest  work,  induced  Miss 
Mackie,  the  instructor  who  first  gave  him  his  test  lesson,  to 
ask  him  to  return  to  Hampton  before  the  opening  of  the  institu 
tion,  that  he  might  get  the  buildings  ready  for  occupancy.  By 
this  means  he  was  able  to  earn  a  sum  to  be  credited  on  his  board 
for  the  ensuing  year.  This  enabled  him  to  start  on  a  better 
footing  than  on  previous  occasions. 

Inspired  by  this  confidence  placed  in  him,  Washington 
exerted  himself  to  the  utmost  and  studied  with  such  good  effect 
that  when  he  had  completed  the  course  at  the  school  and  was 
ready  for  graduation  he  was  placed  on  the  "  honor  roll "  and 
selected  as  one  of  the  Commencement  orators. 

In  summarizing  the  benefits  he  derived  from  his  training 
at  Hampton,  Dr.  Washington  himself,  placed  first  among  the 


48  MATRICULATING  IN  COLLEGE. 

advantages,  his  acquaintance  and  contact  with  General  Arm 
strong;  second,  the  knowledge  he  gained  of  the  real  purpose  of 
education,  and  what  it  is  supposed  to  do  for  the  individual ;  the 
realization  that  it  is  an  honor,  and  not  a  disgrace  to  work,  or 
labor  with  the  hands,  and  finally  the  satisfaction  that  comes  of 
doing  things  for  others. 

Following  his  graduation  Washington  went  far  from  the 
scenes  of  his  early  boyhood,  into  the  North,  and  secured  a  place 
as  a  waiter  in  a  hotel.  When  the  summer  season  ended,  he 
returned  to  his  home  in  Maiden,  West  Virginia,  where  he  first 
made  use  of  the  special  training  and  education  he  had  received 
at  Hampton.  There  was  much  interest  in  the  education  of  the 
colored  people  and  he  was  appointed  a  teacher.  Here  began  his 
real  life  work. 

WASHINGTON  AN  ADVANCED  EDUCATOR. 

Dr.  Washington  often  referred  to  his  first  experiences  as  a 
teacher,  and  here  he  showed  as  in  other  instances  that  he  was 
an  advanced  educator.  He  not  only  gave  the  ordinary  instruc 
tion  but  so  deeply  was  he  interested  in  the  welfare  of  his  people, 
that  he  instructed  his  pupils  in  the  use  of  the  tooth-brush,  ad 
vised  them  about  bathing,  taught  them  to  comb  and  brush  their 
hair  and  sought  to  develop  their  self  respect  by  generally  keep 
ing  themselves  clean,  even  to  the  point  of  urging  them  to  take 
proper  care  of  their  clothing. 

Not  only  did  he  teach  a  day  school,  but  he  conducted  a  night 
school  for  older  men  and  women  who  were  compelled  to  work 
during  the  regular  hours,  and  on  Sunday  taught  classes  in 
Sunday  Schools,  in  two  widely  separated  districts,  besides  or 
ganizing  and  directing  the  work  of  several  debating  societies 
where  questions  affecting  the  education  and  development  of  the 
negroes  were  discussed,  together  with  general  subjects. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON.    From  a  late  photograph. 
Under  his  guiding  hand,  Tuskegee  grew  up  and  became  famed  the  world  over 
for  what  it  has  done  for  the  colored  race. 


Copyright  by  Underwood  &  underwooa,  JN 


THE  FAMILY  HOME,  TUSKEGEE 
This  handsome  residence  of  Mr.  Washington  was  well  earned,  and  stands 
as  another  monument  to  his  life  work. 


Copyright  by  Underwood  &  Underwood,  N.  Y. 

MR.  AND  MRS.  BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON 

And  their  sons,  Davidson  and  Booker  T.,  Jr.,  at  home,  Tuskegee,  Alabama. 


BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON  DELIVERING  A  PUBLIC  ADDRESS 
He  was  an  eloquent  speaker  and  a  tireless  worker.      He  proved  himself  to  be  one  of 
the  leading  educators  of  his  time. 


THE  GREAT  LEADER  OF  A  RISING  RACE 
A  man  whose  struggles  and  life  achievements  are  interwoven  with  the 
history  of  the  nation. 


Copyright  by  Underwood  &  Underwood,  N.  Y. 

LINCOLN   GATES,  TUSKEGEE  INSTITUTE 
Named  after  the  immortal  Lincoln  and  always  an  inspiration  to  the  student 
and  visitor. 


Copyright  by  Underwood  &  Underwood,  N.  Y. 

GYMNASIUM,  TUSKEGEE  INSTITUTE 
Physical  development  for  young  women,  as  well  as  young  men,  is  provided  for. 


MATRICULATING  IN  COLLEGE.  49 

That  he  was  deeply  appreciative  of  the  advantages  he  had 
secured  at  Hampton  and  realized  the  value  of  the  training  to 
be  obtained  there,  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  when  he  began 
teaching  at  Maiden,  and  was  able  to  secure  some  remuneration 
for  his  work,  he  inspired  his  older  brother  John,  who  assisted 
him,  to  take  the  course  at  Hampton.  Thus  with  the  assistance 
of  the  future  leader  of  his  people,  John  Washington  too,  was 
able  to  work  his  way  through  school  and  prepare  himself  to 
become  an  aid  in  the  building  up  of  the  institution  at  Tuskegee. 
An  adopted  brother  James,  who  was  taken  into  the  family, 
shortly  after  the  removal  to  West  Virginia,  also  completed  the 
course  at  Hampton. 

HIS  EFFORTS  FAILED  TO  INSPIRE   CONFIDENCE. 

The  period  in  which  Booker  Washington,  the  teacher  be 
gan  his  activities  in  the  interest  of  his  people  was  not  such  as 
to  inspire  great  confidence  in  the  ultimate  result  of  his  efforts. 
It  was  at  this  time  that  many  factions  in  the  South  were  aroused 
by  the  fear  that  the  negro  would  become  a  factor  and  by  his  vote 
in  conjunction  with  the  Republicans  of  the  North,  hold  the  con 
trolling  power  in  the  South.  There  was  organized  attempt  to 
prevent  the  political  -ascendency  of  the  negro. 

The  days  of  the  "  armed  negro  domination  >:'  which  had 
been  witnessed  for  a  short  period  after  the  war  in  some  sections 
because  of  the  selfish  or  over-zealous  leadership  of  some  of  the 
radical  abolitionists  were  long  since  passed,  but  the  famous  Klu 
Klux  were  operating.  There  are  those  who  are  not  proud 
of  the  record  made  by  the  members  of  that  mystic  order,  but 
their  activities  have  a  place  in  the  history  of  the  South,  which 
cannot  be  ignored,  since  it  was  in  the  face  of  the  chaotic  con 
ditions  then  existing  that  Dr.  Washington  began  his  real 
struggles. 

4-W 


50  MATRICULATING  IN  COLLEGE. 

The  negro  who  stood  accused  of  some  overt  act,  or  who 
had  aroused  the  ill-will  of  those  identified  with  the  operations 
of  the  Klu  Klux,  might  well  tremble.  From  out  the  night  there 
rode  on  horseback,  a  band  of  men  who  might  have  gal 
loped  bodily  out  of  those  pages  of  history  which  tell  of  the 
famous  quests  of  the  Knights  of  King  Arthur.  Riders  and 
horses  were  hooded  in  white.  On  the  breasts  of  their  knightly 
costumes  were  red  insignia,  and  on  the  coverings  of  the  horses 
were  the  mystic  marks  of  the  band  or  clan. 

There  was  no  trumpeting,  no  herald  announced  their  ap 
proach.  They  came  swiftly  and  silently  to  the  place  where 
might  be  found  the  object  of  their  vengeance.  And  when  they 
were  gone  there  was  found  a  dead  negro — one  who  had  been 
hanged  to  a  tree  or  been  riddled  with  bullets. 

AN  OPPORTUNITY  TO  SEE  NIGHT-RIDERS. 

While  teaching  at  Maiden,  Washington  had  an  opportun 
ity  to  see  the  work  of  some  of  these  night  riders,  who  engaged 
in  a  fierce  battle  with  negroes.  In  the  course  of  the  struggle 
General  Lewis  Ruffner,  in  whose  home  he  had  served  as  house- 
boy,  was  severely  hurt  while  taking  the  part  of  the  colored 
people.  He  was  knocked  down  and  so  injured  that  he  never  en 
tirely  recovered  from  the  effects  of  his  injuries.  The  period 
of  these  lawless  attacks  were  always  referred  to  by  Dr.  Wash 
ington  as  among  the  darkest  in  his  career. 

The  first  real  public  recognition  which  came  to  Dr.  Wash 
ington  was  at  a  period  of  approximately  four  years  after  he 
had  completed  his  education  at  Hampton.  Following  his  teach 
ing  at  Maiden,  he  went  to  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  took  a  special 
course  at  Wayland  Seminary. 

At  the  end  of  the  school  year,  officials  in  Charleston,  West 
Virginia,  who  recognized  his  abiHty  as  a  speaker,  as  well  as  his 


MATRICULATING  IN  COLLEGE.  51 

influence  with  the  colored  people,  prevailed  upon  him  to  go  upon 
the  public  platform  and  talk  in  the  interest  of  Charleston  as  the 
seat  of  the  State  capital.  At  that  time  the  capital  was  Wheel 
ing.  Representatives  of  several  cities  were  trying  to  secure  the 
establishment  of  the  State  executive  headquarters  in  their  res 
pective  communities  and  the  Legislature  had  finally  passed  a 
law  authorizing  a  popular  vote  to  determine  the  question.  Three 
cities  were  named  as  possibilities.  Washington  accepted  the 
invitation  to  stump  the  State  in  the  interest  of  Charleston,  and 
when,  after  a  campaign  lasting  several  months  the  question  was 
put  to  a  vote,  Charleston  was  the  choice  of  the  people. 

BEGINS  THE  STUDY  OF  LAW. 

At  this  point,  one  of  the  few  in  his  career  when  he  seems  to 
have  looked  aside  from  his  work  along  educational  lines,  the 
young  teacher  began  the  study  of  law  in  Charleston.  His  suc 
cess  on  the  stump,  in  the  State  capital  campaign,  had  fired  his 
ambition,  and  he  looked  for  a  time  with  longing  on  a  political 
career. 

Just  about  this  time,  however,  he  was  honored  by  his  old 
school  Hampton,  in  having  been  invited  to  deliver  an  address 
at  the  Commencement.  Following  this  occasion,  when  he  chose 
for  his  topic  "  the  Force  that  Wins/'  he  found  an  opportunity 
to  continue  his  educational  work  through  the  kindness  of  Gen 
eral  Armstrong,  who  invited  him  to  return  and  take  a  post 
graduate  course  and  act  as  an  instructor. 

Out  of  this  opportunity  there  came  to  him  some  unusual 
experiences,  and  the  lesson  he  had  learned  in  his  early  boyhood 
struggles  of  the  value  of  the  night  school  was  brought  home 
to  him.  It  had  been  decided  to  start  a  night  school  at  Hampton, 
for  those  who  were  compelled  to  work  all  day,  and  Washington 
was  placed  in  charge  of  the  work. 


52  MATRICULATING  IN  COLLEGE. 

It  was  while  he  was  carrying  on  this  work  that  the  school 
was  opened  to  the  Indian  boys  of  the  country,  and  it  fell  to 
Washington's  lot  to  have  charge  of  these  sons  of  the  red  men 
who  came  from  out  the  great  West.  At  that  time  little  effort 
had  been  made  to  educate  the  Indian  with  any  degree  of  tho 
roughness,  and  in  fact,  there  were  many  who  did  not  believe 
that  the  aborigines  were  capable  of  being  educated.  General 
Armstrong's  plan  was  rather  of  an  experimental  nature  and 
must  have  been  regarded  as  somewhat  daring,  since  it  involved 
the  bringing  together  of  two  distinct  races. 

A  TRUSTED  DEVELOPER  AT  TWENTY-THREE. 

How  much  progress  Washington  had  made  up  to  this  time 
may  be  noted  by  the  fact  that  he  was  now  not  more  than  twenty- 
three  years  of  age,  and  that  he  had  already  grown  to  a  point 
where  he  could  be  trusted  to  train  and  develop  an  almost  bar 
baric  people. 

The  Indians,  proud  of  their  ancestry,  regarded  themselves 
superior  in  many  respects  to  the  white  man,  and  the  problem  be 
fore  the  young  colored  teacher  was  not  entirely  simple.  His 
observations  on  the  capabilities  of  the  Indians  in  after  years 
was  that  his  experience  convinced  him  that  the  main  thing  any 
oppressed  people  needed  was  a  chance  of  the  right  kind,  and  they 
would  cease  to  be  savages. 

There  was  something  under  one  hundred  Indians  in  the 
school,  and  Washington  was  compelled  to  take  up  his  residence 
in  their  quarters,  where  he  was  the  only  one  of  his  race.  In 
discussing  educational  problems  he  later  said  that  he  found 
that  there  was  very  little  difference  between  the  Indians  and 
other  human  beings.  They  responded  to  kind  treatment  and 
resented  ill-treatment,  and  at  all  times  seemed  ready  to  render 
service  and  do  things  that  would  add  to  his  comfort.  He  noted 


MATRICULATING  IN  COLLEGE.  53 

that  they  objected  most  seriously  to  having  their  hair  cut,  were 
displeased  at  the  idea  of  having  to  give  up  their  blankets  and 
considered  it  a  hardship  to  be  compelled  to  give  up  smoking. 
Compared  with  the  colored  students,  he  noted  little  differ 
ence  in  their  ability  to  learn,  except  that  they  experience  diffi 
culty  in  mastering  the  English  language.  That  Washington's 
efforts  in  behalf  of  his  Indian  charges  were  successful  is  a 
matter  of  record  at  Hampton,  and  it  is  certain  that  the  exper 
ience  broadened  his  vision  and  better  fitted  him  for  the  greater 
work  he  was  shortly  to  take  up  at  Tuskegee. 

MANY  BITTER  EXPERIENCES. 

It  has  often  been  said  that  it  is  through  trial  and  tribula 
tion  that  man  is  prepared  to  undertake  great  works,  and  there 
is  ample  evidence  to  show  that  Washington  had  many  annoying 
and  bitter  experiences.  One  that  made  him  feel  the  weight  of 
public  sentiment  against  the  black  race  came  when  he  was  called 
upon  to  escort  a  sick  Indian  student  to  Washington,  for  the 
purpose  of  having  him  turned  over  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  for  return  to  the  Indian  Reservation  whence  he  came. 
On  arriving  at  the  hotel  in  Washington  where  he  had  been  in 
structed  to  take  the  Indian,  Washington  found  that  his  charge 
would  be  received  as  a  guest  at  the  hostelry,  but  that  lie  was 
barred,  as  a  member  of  the  black  race.  That  experience  was 
not  only  trying,  but  puzzling,  since  the  young  teacher  could  not 
understand  how  the  hotel  clerk  was  able  to  draw  the  color  line, 
there  being  very  little  difference  in  the  color  of  the  Indian's 
skin  and  his  own. 

During  the  period  of  his  service  as  an  instructor  of  the 
Indians,  and  as  teacher  of  the  night  school,  Washington  con 
tinued  to  study  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  H.  B.  Frissell,  who 
later  became  successor  of  General  Armstrong  as  principal  of 


54  MATRICULATING  IN  COLLEGE. 

the  Hampton  Institute.  It  was  while  he  was  thus  working  and 
studying  that  there  came  to  him  through  General  Armstrong, 
and  as  direct  reward  for  his  earnest  and  effective  work,  the  big 
opportunity  of  his  life. 

One  night  at  the  close  of  the  chapel  exercises  General 
Armstrong  announced  that  he  had  received  a  letter  from  Tuske- 
gee,  Alabama,  asking  him  to  recommend  someone  to  take  charge 
of  a  school  which  was  to  be  established  for  the  education  of  the 
colored  people.  Subsequently  he  summoned  Washington  to 
his  office  and  asked  him  if  he  could  fill  the  post  in  Alabama. 
With  characteristic  honesty  the  young  teacher  replied  that  he 
was  "  willing  to  try." 

GENERAL  ARMSTRONG  SHOWS  CONFIDENCE. 

General  Armstrong  thereupon  showed  his  confidence  in  his 
young  instructor  by  recommending  him  to  those  in  charge  of 
the  movement  in  Alabama,  although  they  had  originally  sought 
a  white  teacher.  As  a  result  of  this,  after  a  short  time,  he  was 
offered  the  post  which  led  to  the  establishment  of  Tuskegee 
Institute.  The  acceptance  of  General  Armstrong's  offer  to 
send  Washington  to  Alabama  as  an  educator  was  announced 
in  chapel  one  evening  and  was  in  the  form  of  a  telegram, 
which  read: 

'  Booker  T.  Washington  will  suit  us.     Send  him  at  once." 

There  was  little  delay  on  the  part  of  Washington  in  going 
to  the  seat  of  his  future  operations.  The  students  showered 
congratulations  upon  him  and  those  who  had  helped  him  in  his 
studies  offered  their  best  wishes  and  made  known  their  willing 
ness  to  render  him  any  assistance,  and  Hampton  Institute 
knew  him  no  more  as  a  student. 

Tuskegee  was  to  receive  as  its  foremost  colored  citizen 


MATRICULATING  IN  COLLEGE.  55 

a  man  who  was  in  the  words  of  the  modern  phrasist  was  des 
tined  to  "  put  it  on  the  map." 

It  is  worthy  of  note,  at  this  point,  that  while  Booker  T. 
Washington  became  the  recognized  advocate  of  industrial  train 
ing  for  the  negro,  and  that  the  institution  which  he  came  to 
erect  at  Tuskegee  reflected  much  that  he  learned  at  Hampton 
Institute,  he  was  not  alone  in  his  theories  as  to  the  best  means 
of  developing  the  negro. 

VALUE  OF  INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING. 

He  had  constantly  before  him  as  a  distressing  lesson  which 
tended  to  intensify  his  ideas  as  to  the  value  of  industrial  train 
ing;  i.  e.  the  experiences  of  colored  men  and  women,  who, 
within  a  few  years  had  been  thrown  out  into  the  world,  depen 
dent  on  their  own  resources,  and  who  were  imbued  with  the 
idea  that  their  freedom  from  slavery  meant  freedom  from 
manual  labor.  There  was  during  the  formative  period  of  his 
career  a  marked  tendency  on  the  part  of  the  colored  people  to 
consider  "  book  learning  "  the  solution  of  every  economic  prob 
lem,  and  within  a  few  years  the  South  was  filled  with  negroes 
called  to  preach.  Some  in  the  rapidly  changing  situations  had 
entered  the  political  arena  and  secured  State  or  government 
positions. 

The  absurdity  of  negroes  entering  public  life,  without 
having  been  prepared  to  meet  the  demands  that  would  be  made 
upon  them,  was  forcefully  brought  to  his  attention  on  one 
occasion  when  in  passing  a  building  in  course  of  erection  he 
heard  one  negro  workman  addressing  another  shout,  "  Hurry 
up,  Governor." 

The  speaker  was  addressing  a  hod-carrier  and  his  com 
mand  was  so  urgent  that  Washington  stopped  to  inquire  about 
the  Governor.  He  learned  that  the  hod-carrier  had  in  the 


56  MATRICULATING  IN  COLLEGE. 

period  just  after  the  war,  been  elected  to  the  post  of  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor  of  his  State. 

Though  of  an  entirely  different  type  than  Washington, 
Frederick  Douglass,  the  negro  Statesman,  was  a  pioneer  in 
the  advocacy  of  industrial  training  for  the  negro,  and  Washing 
ton  had  before  him  the  lessons  which  this  unusual  leader  of  the 
negro  race  had  taught.  In  many  respects  there  was  a  similarity 
between  the  two  great  leaders. 

WASHINGTON'S  ADVANTAGES  OVER  DOUGLASS. 

Frederick  Douglass  was  born  a  slave,  in  as  humble  circum 
stances,  and  he  accomplished  much  without  the  educational  ad 
vantages  which  young  Washington  was  able  to  obtain.  Of  his 
own  early  life,  which  is  interesting  in  comparison  with  that  of 
Booker  Washington,  it  is  related  that  when  invited  to  return 
to  the  scene  of  his  childhood  in  Talbot  County,  Maryland, 
to  address  a  colored  school,  he  said: 

"  I  once  knew  a  little  colored  boy  whose  mother  and  father 
died  when  he  was  but  six  years  old.  He  was  a  slave,  and  had 
no  one  to  care  for  him.  He  slept  on  a  dirt  floor  in  a  hovel, 
and  in  cold  weather  would  crawl  into  a  meal  bag  headforemost, 
and  leave  his  feet  in  the  ashes  to  keep  them  warm.  Often  he 
would  roast  an  ear  of  corn  and  eat  it  to  satisfy  his  hunger,  and 
many  times  he  has  crawled  under  the  barn  or  stable  and  secured 
eggs,  which  he  would  roast  in  the  fire  and  eat. 

"  That  boy  did  not  wear  pants  like  you,  but  a  tow  linen 
shirt.  Schools  were  unknown  to  him,  and  he  learned  to  spell 
from  an  old  Webster's  spelling  book  and  to  read  and  write  from 
posters  on  cellar  and  barn  doors,  while  men  and  boys  would  help 
him.  He  would  then  preach  and  speak,  and  soon  became  well- 
known.  He  became  a  Presidential  elector,  United  States  Mar 
shal,  United  States  Recorder,  United  States  Diplomat  and  ac- 


MATRICULATING  IN  COLLEGE.  57 

cumulated  some  wealth.  He  wore  broadcloth  and  did  not  have 
to  divide  crumbs  with  the  dogs  under  the  table.  That  boy  was 
Frederick  Douglass. 

"  What  was  possible  for  me  is  possible  for  you.  Don't 
think  that  because  you  are  colored  you  can't  accomplish  any 
thing.  Strive  earnestly  to  add  to  your  knowledge.  So  long 
as  you  remain  in  ignorance,  so  long  will  you  fail  to  command 
the  self-respect  of  your  fellow  men." 

INSPIRED  BY  DOUGLASS. 

That  Washington  found  much  in  the  life  and  history  of 
Douglass  to  inspire  him  goes  without  saying.  The  great  negro 
statesman  believed  that  the  colored  people  must  struggle  and 
labor,  and  in  one  of  his  eloquent  addresses  exclaimed  "  The 
destiny  of  the  colored  race  is  in  their  own  hands.  They  must 
bear  and  suffer ;  they  must  toil  and  be  patient ;  they  must  carve 
out  their  own  fortunes,  and  they  will  do  it."  Thus  he  expressed 
in  a  few  words  the  principles  advocated  and  advanced  by  Book 
er  Washington  in  his  work  at  Tuskegee. 

The  view  which  Dr.  Washington  held  of  Douglass  is  re 
flected  in  his  writings.  In  referring  to  the  race-prejudice  he 
tells  of  a  conversation  with  Mr.  Douglass,  on  one  occasion, 
when  the  long  since  departed  colored  statesman  described  a 
trip  through  Pennsylvania,  when  he  was  compelled  to  ride  in  a 
baggage  car  because  of  his  color.  Some  of  the  white  passen 
gers  who  knew  him  went  into  the  baggage  car  to  console  him, 
and  remarked, 

1 1  am  sorry,  Mr.  Douglass,  that  you  have  been  degraded 
in  this  manner."  Douglass  straightened  himself  up,  and  re 
plied: 

:  They  cannot  degrade  Frederick  Douglass.  The  soul  that 
is  within  me  no  man  can  degrade. 


CHAPTER  III. 

A  NEW  FIELD  OF  ENDEAVOR:  BUILDING  A  SCHOOL 

FROM  NOTHING. 

TLJSKEGEE,  Alabama,  came  to  know  Booker  T.  Washing 
ton  in  the  Summer  of  the  year  1881,  and  by  that  same 
token  Booker  T.  Washington  came  to  know  Tuskegee. 
The  scene  of  his  new  activities  was  in  the  center  of  what  was 
known  as  the  Black  Belt,  a  term  which  Dr.  Washington  defined 
as  meaning  a  part  of  the  country  which  was  distinguished  by 
the  color  of  its  soil.  Such  territory  was  naturally  that  in 
which  agriculture  was  most  profitable,  and  for  that  reason  it 
was  where  the  slaves  were  found  to  be  in  the  greatest  numbers, 
so  that  the  term  ultimately  came  to  be  applied  to  those  portions 
of  the  country  where  the  negroes  were  thickest.  The  expression 
was  used  very  largely  in  a  political  sense. 

The  town  of  Tuskegee  was  founded  in  1830,  and  had 
at  the  time  of  his  advent  approximately  two  thousand  inhabi 
tants.  In  the  community  the  black  residents  outnumbered  the 
whites  by  about  fully  three  to  one,  and  in  some  of  the  surround 
ing  territory  the  proportion  of  blacks  to  whites  was  much 
greater.  It  was  such  conditions  as  these  which  made  the  prob 
lem  of  the  negro  so  difficult. 

Instead  of  finding  a  school  already  for  his  occupancy  and 
work,  Dr.  Washington  found  that  the  State  of  Alabama, 
through  the  influence  of  some  progressive  residents  of  Tuske 
gee,  among  them  Lewis  Adams,  a  negro  and  ex-slave,  and 
George  W.  Campbell,  a  banker  and  an  ex- slave  owner,  had  ap 
propriated  a  sum  of  $2000  for  the  establishment  of  the  school, 
or  rather  for  the  payment  of  the  instructors  in  what  was 

58 


A  NEW  FIELD  OF  ENDEAVOR.  59 

to  be  a  Normal  school  for  the  education  of  the  colored  people. 
This  was  the  stage  of  development  which  the  work  had 
reached  when  Dr.  Washington  arrived  on  the  scene.  The  town 
was,  however,  receptive.  It  was  one  of  those  places  in  which 
the  colored  and  whites  seemed  to  live  in  apparently  friendly 
relations.  The  white  residents  had  a  fine  appreciation  of  the 
value  of  education,  for  Tuskegee  had  been  something  of  a 
centre  of  education  for  them.  There  were  even  at  that  time 
a  number  of  negroes  in  business  in  the  community  who  had  won 
the  respect  of  the  white  residents  and  who  enjoyed  some  of 
their  trade. 

OVERJOYED  AT   EDUCATIONAL  PROSPECTS. 

The  colored  people  were  overjoyed  at  the  prospect  of  ob 
taining  educational  facilities,  and  while  no  provision  had  been 
made  for  securing  land  for  a  school  site  or  planning  for  the 
construction  of  buildings,  the  young  educator  found  the  people 
willing  to  render  any  aid  possible.  Much  has  been  said  about 
environment  and  atmosphere,  and  the  value  of  these  things 
is  being  discussed  to-day  in  every  centre  of  education,  but  there 
was  not  much  atmosphere,  nor  much  that  was  inspiring  in  the 
way  of  environment  for  Booker  T.  Washington  at  Tuskegee,  in 
so  far  as  an  educational  institution  could  be  considered.  The 
inspiration  came  from  within  himself  and  from  the  spirit  which 
pervaded  the  community. 

The  only  available  building  for  his  primitive  school  was 
an  old  dilapidated  frame  building  or  shanty  near  the  colored 
church.  Arrangements  were  completed  to  utilize  this  old  build 
ing  and  to  have  the  church  serve  as  sort  of  an  assembly  room. 
The  church  was  in  little  better  state  of  repair  than  was  the 
shanty,  and  in  his  comments  on  those  early  events  Dr.  Washing 
ton  says  that  it  was  frequently  necessary  for  the  student  to  hold 


60  A  NEW  FIELD  OF  ENDEAVOR. 

an  umbrella  over  his  head  while  it  rained,  because  the  water 
poured  through  the  leaky  roof. 

Before  actually  starting  the  school,  Dr.  Washington  made 
a  survey  of  the  country  near-by,  largely  with  a  view  to  ad 
vertising  the  project  and  getting  the  views  of  the  people  on 
the  question  of  education.  His  journey  was  made  in  a  cart 
drawn  by  a  mule,  and  he  ate  and  slept  in  the  homes  of  the 
humble  people  wherever  he  went. 

His  reflections  on  the  conditions  as  he  found  them  throw 
an  interesting  light  on  the  lives  of  the  negroes  at  this  crucial 
period. 

THE  WHOLE  FAMILY  SLEPT  IN  ONE  ROOM. 

"  I  found,"  said  the  young  educator,  "  that  in  the  planta 
tion  districts  as  a  rule,  the  whole  family  slept  in  one  room, 
and  that  in  addition  to  the  regular  members  of  the  family  there 
were  frequently  relatives  or  others,  who  were  compelled  to 
occupy  this  same  room.  On  many  occasions  I  had  to  go  outside 
to  get  ready  for  bed  or  wait  until  the  family  had  retired. 

"  They  usually  provided  some  place  on  the  floor,  or  gave 
me  part  of  another's  bed.  There  was  no  provision  for  the 
bath  inside  the  house,  though  frequently  some  provision  had 
been  made  for  it  outside.  The  ordinary  diet  was  fat  pork  and 
corn  bread  and  the  people  seemed  to  have  no  other  ambition  or 
thought  except  to  exist  on  this  fare." 

The  significance  of  this  to  Dr.  Washington  was  that  the 
poor  negroes  purchased  their  limited  supply  of  food  from  the 
stores  and  made  practically  no  attempt  to  cultivate  the  land 
around  about  them,  on  which  they  might  have  raised  sufficient 
food  to  provide  them  with  generous  tables  Their  one  object 
seemed  to  be  to  plant  nothing  but  cotton,  wherein  was  reflected 
the  result  of  their  years  of  training  as  slaves. 


A  NEW  FIELD  OF  ENDEAVOR.  61 

A  condition  which  is  not  confined  to  the  negro,  was  also 
noted  with  some  concern  by  Dr.  Washington.  He  found  that 
in  many  humble  homes,  nay,  in  the  veriest  hovels,  families  had 
bought  sewing-machines  at  high  cost  and  were  paying  for  them 
on  the  installment  plan,  or  had  invested  in  fancy  clocks,  or 
organs,  or  ornamental  pieces  of  furniture.  In  one  such  hovel 
where  he  sat  down  to  dinner,  he  noted,  he  afterward  said,  that 
for  the  five  persons  present  there  was  but  one  fork  to  use. 

HONORS  ARRANGED  FOR  DR.  WASHINGTON. 

Such  gatherings  at  the  table  were  often  arranged  in  honor 
of  Dr.  Washington,  for  on  ordinary  occasions  the  operation  of 
the  home,  as  is  usually  the  case  with  the  extremely  ignorant  or 
untrained,  was  on  sort  of  a  hit  or  miss  plan.  Each  person  served 
himself  from  a  general  pot  or  skillet  in  which  the  meagre  meal 
was  prepared  and  hied  himself  off  to  work.  Father,  mother, 
sons  and  daughters — all  who  were  able  to  wield  a  hoe — found 
their  way  to  the  cotton  fields,  leaving  the  house  to  take  care  of 
itself. 

The  economic  conditions  were  a  revelation  to  him,  though 
they  were  a  matter  of  common  knowledge  to  many  in  the  South 
who  were  struggling  with  the  problem  of  "  what  to  do  with 
the  negro."  Up  to  this  time  he  had  not  seen  much  of  life  in 
its  broader  aspect — he  had  been  very  much  engaged  and  con 
centrated  on  his  efforts  to  equip  himself  for  the  work  among  his 
people.  Here  he  found  himself  a  missionary  at  home — among 
his  own  people. 

He  found  that  Saturday  retained  for  the  negroes  some 
thing  of  the  atmosphere  that  had  maintained  during  the  days  of 
slavery,  when  they  were  given  certain  days  off  for  enjoyment. 
Saturdays  seemed  to  be  their  holidays  and  the  whole 


62  A  NEW  FIELD  OF  ENDEAVOR. 

family  went  to  town  to  make  a  few  purchases,  and  stand  or 
sit  around  to  discuss  weighty  events  or  gossip. 

Crops  were  mortgaged  and  the  colored  farmers  were  in 
debt.  There  were  few,  if  any,  country  schools,  classes  being 
held  in  churches  or  log  cabins,  and  where  there  were  schools 
there  was  no  adequate  equipment.  Frequently  there  was  no 
provision  for  heat,  and  those  who  were  serving  in  the  capacity 
of  instructors  were  often  absolutely  incompetent. 

OPPORTUNITY  TO  PERFORM  A  GREAT  WORK. 

The  advantage  of  all  this  from  the  standpoint  at  least  of 
Dr.  Washington,  was  that  if  left  him  ample  opportunity  to 
perform  a  great  work.  In  some  localities  conditions  were  much 
better  than  in  others  and  there  were  here  and  there  colored  men 
who  had  improved  their  time  and  were  highly  respected  in 
their  neighborhoods. 

Dr.  Washington's  survey  more  clearly  impressed  upon  him 
the  wisdom  of  General  Armstrong's  method  of  developing 
the  mental  and  the  physical  simultaneously.  From  his  exper 
iences  and  his  investigation  was  builded  up  in  his  mind  the  plans 
of  the  Institute  which  he  forthwith  established  on  July  4, 
1881. 

The  memory  of  the  events  of  earlier  days  when  an  "  edu 
cated  negro  "  seemed  to  be  typified  by  a  white  haired  old  darkie, 
wearing  a  silk  hat,  frock  coat,  and  carrying  a  cane,  was  not  for 
gotten  by  every  white  resident,  and  there  was  some  doubt  ex 
pressed  as  to  the  wisdom  of  the  move  about  to  be  taken.  There 
was  a  question  as  to  whether  education  in  its  generally  accepted 
form  would  not  affect  the  value  of  the  negro  as  an  economic 
factor.  But  there  was  no  danger  that  Dr.  Washington  would 
offer  any  other  than  a  training  which  developed  and  increased 
the  value  of  the  negro  in  the  world  of  industry. 


A  NEW  FIELD  OF  ENDEAVOR.  63 

From  the  beginning  he  was  committed  to  this  idea,  and  to 
the  final  end  he  advocated  industrial  education  for  his  people. 
At  one  time  he  said  regarding  the  colored  people  of  the  South, 
that  wherever  a  colored  man  was  found  in  a  community  wha 
had  won  the  confidence  of  the  people  for  reliability,  it  would  be 
discovered  in  a  majority  of  cases  that  he  had  learned  a  trade 
during  the  days  of  slavery. 

When  the  final  day  came  for  opening  the  little  school  about 
thirty  students  reported  for  admissions.  There  was  an  even 
division  as  to  sex,  and  almost  no  limit  as  to  age.  Many  of  those 
who  came  to  the  school  were  teachers  in  the  log-cabin  schools 
or  of  classes  that  met  in  the  country  churches.  With  these 
teachers  there  came  the  children  they  were  trying  to  instruct. 

AN  EXPERIENCE  TO  BE   REMEMBERED. 

Out  of  the  many  lessons  Dr.  Washington  drew  from  his 
experiences  up  to  this  point  in  his  career,  is  one  that  should 
not  be  forgotten  by  any  youth  of  the  country.  It  has  to  do  with 
the  advantages  or  disadvantages  of  birth.  It  may  be  conven 
ient  to  be  "  born  with  a  silver  spoon  in  the  mouth/'  but  the 
economic  conditions  of  the  present  day  do  not  make  this  always 
the  most  desirable.  The  struggle  is  so  bitter  that  it  is  neces 
sary  for  every  individual  to  be  prepared  to  meet  the  emergency, 
and  he  must  be  trained  to  be  able  to  do  so. 

"  I  do  not  envy  the  white  boys  as  I  once  did/'  declared  Dr. 
Washington  in  this  relation.  "  I  have  found  that  success  is 
measured  not  so  much  by  the  position  attained  in  life  as  by  the 
obstacles  which  have  been  overcome  in  attaining  that  position. 
Looked  at  from  this  angle,  I  have  reached  the  conclusion  that 
very  often  the  negro  boy's  birth  and  connection  with  a  race  that 
is  unpopular,  may  be  an  advantage,  in  so  far  as  real  life  is  con 
cerned. 


64  A  NEW  FIELD  OF  ENDEAVOR. 

"  The  negro  youth  must  usually  work  harder  and  perhaps 
perform  his  tasks  better  in  order  to  secure  recognition,  but  out 
of  the  unusual  struggle  which  he  is  compelled  to  face,  he  gains 
a  strength  and  confidence  which  is  not  developed  in  those  whose 
pathway  lies  smooth  by  reason  of  birth  and  race." 

A  MENTAL  OPPORTUNITY  PROVIDED. 

This  was  the  sort  of  mentality  that  was  destined  to  provide 
opportunity  for  the  colored  youth  of  the  Eastern  Alabama  sec 
tion  when  the  Tuskegee  school  opened.  Hardly  had  the  little 
educational  institution  been  started  on  its  career  than  Dr. 
Washington  began  devising  ways  of  building  to  meet  the  exi 
gencies  of  the  situation  which  he  found.  It  developed  that  most 
of  those  who  came  to  the  school  were  unable  to  give  atten 
dance  through  an  entire  session,  that  they  had  not  the  means 
wherewith  to  pay  for  tuition  or  board,  and  in  many  instances 
for  the  books  and  incidentals  of  school  life.  Dr.  Washington 
noticed  too,  that  many  of  them  seemed  to  think  that  they  were 
to  secure  an  education  that  they  might  no  longer  be  compelled 
to  work. 

The  urgent  need  for  industrial  training  was  therefore 
manifest,  first  that  the  pupils  should  be  weaned  away  from  the 
idea  that  it  was  not  honorable  to  labor,  and  second,  that  a  means 
could  be  provided  whereby  they  could  earn  something  which 
would  help  them  defray  necessary  expenses.  It  was  a  note 
worthy  fact  that  few,  if  any  of  the  pupils  knew  how  to  live. 
They  did  not  know  how  to  properly  prepare  food,  nor  what 
they  ought  to  have  for  that  food. 

At  this  point  the  reputation  for  integrity  which  Washing 
ton  had  gained  at  Hampton  Institute  stood  him  in  good  stead. 
In  distress  because  he  could  see  no  way  out  of  a  very  trouble 
some  situation,  he  wrote  to  General  J.  F.  B.  Marshall,  treasurer 


A  NEW  FIELD  OF  ENDEAVOR.  65 

of  the  school  where  he  had  obtained  his  education,  and  sought 
assistance  in  the  purchase  of  the  farm  which  was  to  ultimately 
become  the  site  of  the  now  famous  Tuskegee  Institute. 

This  was  a  farm  about  a  mile  from  Tuskegee,  which  the 
young  educator  said  could  be  purchased  at  a  low  price.  Though 
he  had  no  security  to  offer,  General  Marshall  forwarded  the 
$500  which  Dr.  Washington  declared  were  necessary  to  make 
the  preliminary  payment  on  the  farm  and  it  became  the  first 
property  of  the  school. 

WASHINGTON  A  BIG,  BROAD  MAN. 

If  the  results  of  his  efforts  alone  did  not  indicate  the  fact, 
the  proof  that  Dr.  Washington  was  really  a  big,  broad  man 
may  be  found  right  at  this  point  in  his  career,  for  instead  of 
taking  all  the  credit  for  the  rapid  progress  made  in  the  face  of 
grave  difficulties,  he  gave  much  praise  for  the  advance 
to  the  efforts  of  Miss  Olivia  A.  Davidson,  also  a  Hampton 
Institute  graduate,  whose  education  was  supplemented  by  a 
course  at  the  Framingham,  Mass.,  Normal  School.  Miss 
Davidson  was  employed  as  an  assistant  soon  after  the  school 
was  started. 

"  The  success  during  the  first  half  dozen  years  of  the 
school's  existence,"  declared  Dr.  Washington  on  more  than 
one  occasion,  "was  due  more  to  Miss  Davidson  than  anyone 
else.  She  was  the  one  to  bring  order  out  of  every  difficulty. 
When  the  last  effort  had  apparently  been  exhausted  and  it 
seemed  things  must  stop,  she  discovered  the  way  out." 

The  money  for  making  the  final  payment  on  the  farm 
which  was  to  be  the  final  home  of  the  Institute,  and  paying 
back  the  advance  made  by  General  Marshall,  of  Hampton, 
was  raised  by  house  to  honse  canvass,  collections  at  public 
meetings  and  in  churches  in  Tuskegee  and  surrounding 

5-W 


66  A  NEW  FIELD  OF  ENDEAVOR. 

territory,  and  by  contributions  from  friends  of  Dr.  Washington 
and  Miss  Davidson,  not  only  in  the  South,  but  in  the  North 
as  well. 

While  money  was  being  raised  for  the  payment  of  the 
Institute  site,  classes  were  held  regularly  in  the  old  shanty 
and  church  which  were  originally  selected.  These  buildings 
were  of  a  tumble-down  variety  frequently  found  in  half 
developed  or  poor  rural  districts.  Rough  board  structures 
they  were,  with  crude  windows  from  which  glasses  were  miss 
ing;  solid  wooden  shutters  held  in  place  by  strap  hinges. 
They  were  such  buildings  as  would  scarcely  be  regarded  as  fit 
for  the  shelter  of  ordinary  cattle  in  the  modern  view  of  things, 
but  they  served  well  the  purposes  of  Dr.  Washington  and  his 
assistants,  even  if  with  some  considerable  inconveniences,  as 
for  instance,  when  it  was  necessary  to  use  umbrellas  because 
the  rain  poured  through  the  cracks  in  the  plank  roof. 

THE  LAND  VALUE  TURNED  TO  ACCOUNT. 

Almost  immediately  after  the  site  for  the  school  was 
secured  preparations  were  made  to  turn  the  land  value  to 
account.  At  the  close  of  the  day  sessions  in  the  school,  Dr. 
Washington  would  call  for  volunteers,  and  with  them  go  to 
the  school  land.  There  with  axes  and  tools  the  pupils,  many 
of  them  older  than  their  instructor,  would  assist  in  clearing 
the  land  for  cultivation.  There  remained  standing  on  the 
newly  procured  property,  an  old  kitchen — a  reminder  of  the 
ante-bellum  days,  a  rickety  stable  and  a  chicken  coop*  These 
were  renovated  in  a  primitive  way,  patched  and  whitewashed 
and  prepared  for  use  as  class  rooms  and  dormitories,  pending 
the  erection  of  the  first  building. 

While  this  work  was  proceeding  money  had  been  secured 
for  the  erection  of  the  building  which  was  to  be  the  first  in  a 


A  NEW  FIELD  OF  ENDEAVOR.  67 

group  covering  a  great  area  of  land.  The  larger  part  of  the 
funds  for  the  erection  of  this  building  were  secured  through  the 
instrumentality  of  H.  A.  Porter,  of  Brooklyn,  so  that  it  was 
dedicated  Porter  Hall. 

The  first  services  were  held  in  this  hall  on  Thanksgiving 
Day,  1882,  and  it  is  a  matter  of  incidental  note  that  it  was  the 
first  Thanksgiving  celebration  ever  held  in  Tuskegee.  It  is 
worthy  of  mention,  also,  that  the  conditions  in  the  South  for 
many  years  made  the  celebration  of  Thanksgiving  and 
Christmas  something  entirely  different  from  the  celebrations 
in  the  North,  and  even  now  there  is  a  decided  difference  be 
tween  the  attitude  of  a  large  part  of  the  people  of  the  South 
and  those  of  the  North  in  the  matter  of  observing  Christmas. 
It  is  odd  to  find  the  stores  selling  fireworks  and  such  devices 
as  are  used  in  the  North  on  Independence  Day — Fourth  of 
July — for  use  on  Christmas. 

A  TINGE  OF  REAL  ROMANCE. 

The  more  human  the  individual  the  larger  the  possibility 
for  a  tinge  of  real  romance  to  enter  the  life,  and  Booker  T- 
Washington,  while  consistently  avoiding  reference  to  his  per 
sonal  life,  except  in  so  far  as  it  related  to  his  public  efforts, 
naturally  had  his  breast  pierced  by  that  little  herald  of  love — 
Cupid.  While  his  mind  was  struggling  with  the  problems  of 
Tuskegee  in  the  making,  his  thoughts  reverted  to  that  far 
away  village  of  Maiden,  to  which  he  returned  during  his 
vacation,  and  after  his  graduation  from  Hampton.  Close  to 
his  thoughts  was  Miss  Fannie  N.  Smith,  of  Maiden,  who  "be 
came  a  student  at  Hampton,  and  who  by  her  interest  in  his 
work  gave  him  inspiration.  She  was  married  to  Dr. 
Washington,  in  the  summer  of  1882,  and  when  the  fall  came 
she  joined  him  in  his  work  at  Tuskegee  and  began  keeping 


68  A  NEW  FIELD  OF  ENDEAVOR. 

house.  The  Washington  home  then  became  something  of  a 
faculty  house,  in  which  the  assistants  to  the  head  of  the  school 
found  a  home.  The  first  child  of  the  negro  educator  came  0£ 
this  union.  She  was  named  Portia  M.  Washington,  and  was 
left  to  the  care  of  her  father  when  a  babe  by  the  death  of  the 
young  wife  who  was  destined  not  to  see  her  husband's  dreams 
realized. 

THE  FAME  OF  LITTLE  SCHOOL  NOISED  ABOUT. 

The  fame  of  the  little  'school  and  what  Dr.  Washington 
was  attempting  to  accomplish  rapidly  became  noised  through 
Alabama  and  the  surrounding  territory,  and  within  a  short 
time  the  demand  for  admission  exceeded  any  possible  accom 
modations.  Sometimes  it  was  necessary  to  domicile  the 
students  in  huts  and  tents  temporarily  arranged  on  the  large 
tract  of  land,  and  a  make-shift  dormitory  was  fashioned  for 
girls  who  had  to  live  at  the  school  in  the  upper  floor  of  Porter 
Hall.  With  the  heavy  demands  and  the  fact  that  the  large 
number  of  permanent  students  had  to  be  fed,  there  came  the 
difficult  problem  of  feeding  them.  There  were  no  provisions 
for  this.  But  Dr.  Washington  and  his  assistants  and  willing 
students  again  proved  the  truth  of  that  old  axiom  "necessity 
is  the  mother  of  invention." 

The  emergency  was  met  by  digging  out  a  dining-room 
under  part  of  Porter  Hall.  This  was  walled  up  and  sheathed 
and  formed  the  nucleus  of  what  became  the  domestic  science 
department  of  the  institution. 

How  very  determined  the  leader  was  in  his  belief  that  the 
negro  needed  to  learn  that  it  was  honorable  to  work,  was  made 
manifest  very  early  in  the  history  of  the  school  when  the  prin 
ciple  was  laid  down  that  every  student  must  engage  in  some 
sort  of  work  or  labor,  no  matter  what  his  or  her  financial  status 


A  NEW  FIELD  OF  ENDEAVOR.  69 

might  be,  and  that  none  should  remain  unless  prepared  to 
abide  by  this  rule.  Since  in  those  days  many  negroes  had 
come  to  believe  that  education  was  a  substitute  for  work — that 
when  they  had  secured  an  education  they  would  no  longer  be 
compelled  to  engage  in  physical  labor — this  policy  brought 
forth  much  criticism,  and  many  students  came  to  the  school 
armed  with  messages  from  parents  who  served  notice  that  they 
were  not  sending  their  children  to  learn  to  work,  but  to  secure 
an  education. 


At  this  point  some  views  of  Dr.  Washington  on  this  sub 
ject  are  worthy  of  consideration.  In  explaining  the  purposes 
of  the  school  and  the  reasons  for  building  the  sort  of  an  insti 
tution  Tuskegee  has  come  to  be,  Dr.  Washington  said  that 
"  no  one  understanding  the  needs  of  the  negro  race  would 
advocate  that  industrial  education  should  be  given  to  every 
negro  to  the  exclusion  of  professions  and  other  learning."  In 
enlarging  on  this  subject  he  adds  that  because  the  negro  is  in 
a  large  measure  destined  to  remain  in  the  South,  and  because 
conditions  beyond  their  control  attached  them  to  the  soil,  a 
large  proportion  of  them  will,  for  time  to  come,  continue  to  be 
laborers,  and  therefore  the  purpose  was  to  raise  common  labor 
from  drudgery  to  a  position  of  dignity  and  to  effect  a  system 
of  training  that  would  meet  the  need  of  the  greatest  number, 
thus  preparing  them  for  the  better  things  which  intelligent 
effort  would  bring. 

He  advocated  industrial  training  for  the  negro,  not  with 
the  idea  that  educatiou  in  other  lines  was  entirely  unsuited  to 
them,  but  because  the  undeveloped  fields  of  the  South  in  agri 
culture  and  industry  offered  great  opportunities  for  such  fun 
damental  development  of  the  colored  people  as  would  lead  them 


70  A  NEW  FIELD  OF  ENDEAVOR. 

into  better  citizenship.  His  idea  from  the  beginning  was  that 
correct  education  begins  at  the  bottom  and  expands  naturally 
as  the  people  who  receive  it  expand.  Briefly,  Tuskegee  may 
be  described  as  a  character-building  institution.  This  was  the 
real  foundation  on  which  the  institution  was  built.  That  foun 
dation  was  the  real,  big  gift  of  Dr.  Washington — a  big  idea,  a 
broad  vision,  a  knowledge  of  conditions  and  how  to  meet  them. 

EVERYTHING  MUST  BE  DONE  BY  THE  STUDENTS. 

It  was  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  out  these  ideas  that 
Dr.  Washington  insisted  from  the  very  first  that  wherever 
possible  everything  about  the  school  must  be  done  by  the  stu 
dents — the  colored  people  themselves.  Thus  they  would  come 
to  be  skilled  in  all  of  the  trades,  but  the  work  would  enable 
them  to  earn  sufficient  money  to  defray,  or  partly  defray,  their 
expenses.  Incidentally,  the  worth  of  a  student,  or  what  he 
promised  in  the  way  of  development  and  breadth  of  character, 
was  determined  by  his  willingness  to  work. 

The  lesson  which  Dr.  Washington  received  when  he  was 
put  to  the  test  of  cleaning  a  recitation  room  at  Hampton  was 
applied  here  with  vigor.  In  fact  one  of  the  things  that  seems 
to  have  made  Dr.  Washington  the  leader  that  he  turned  out  to 
be  was  that  when  he  learned  a  lesson  he  turned  that  lesson  to 
account. 

Dr.  Washington's  theory  was  that  while  the  students 
might  make  errors  and  experience  failures  they  would  learn 
by  their  experiences,  and  the  lessons  of  self-help  would  prove 
of  inestimable  value.  This  was  something  of  a  radical  idea  in 
educational  circles  in  those  days,  but  it  has  since  become  a 
pretty  well  established  principle  that  if  you  want  to  teach  a 
youth  to  save  money  it  is  easier  to  do  it  by  showing  him  how 
to  invest  it  and  how  to  earn  it  than  it  is  to  do  it  by  preaching 


A  NEW  FIELD  OF  ENDEAVOR.  71 

about  saving  and  then  giving  him  the  money  to  put  aside. 

The  mere  story  of  the  early  struggles  which  Dr.  Wash 
ington  experienced,  working  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  Miss 
Olivia  A.  Davidson,  to  whose  efforts  he  credited  much  of  the 
institution's  success,  furnishes  groundwork  for  a  romance  in 
real  life  which  culminated  in  the  marriage  of  the  couple  in 
1885.  There  was  a  perfect  understanding  and  a  deep  bond  of 
sympathy  underlying  all  of  their  efforts,  and  undoubtedly 
much  that  he  accomplished  was  due  to  the  assistance  rendered 
by  this,  his  second  wife.  Two  children  were  born  of  this  union, 
Booker  Taliaferro  Washington  and  Ernest  Davidson  Wash 
ington.  During  her  married  life  Mrs.  Washington  continued 
to  labor  in  the  interest  of  Tuskegee.  She  died  in  1889. 

WHAT  DR.  WASHINGTON  ACCOMPLISHED. 

Somewhere  in  this  work  it  is  urgent  that  a  survey  be 
made  of  Tuskegee  to  provide  a  concrete  view  of  what  was 
accomplished  through  the  efforts  of  Dr.  Washington  and  to 
give  some  idea  of  what  it  was  that  led  to  his  being  recognized 
the  world  over  as  the  foremost  educator  of  his  race  and  one  of 
the  foremost  in  the  industrial  training  field  in  the  world. 

Remembering  that  the  first  building  erected  was  Porter 
Hall,  and  that  in  it  were  the  industrial  and  academic  class 
rooms,  the  kitchen,  dining  room,  laundry,  commissary,  assem 
bly  room  and  dormitories,  and  that  the  property  consisted  of 
about  100  acres  of  land,  the  following  general  description  is 
significant : — 

"  At  the  close  of  the  term,  May  31,  1914,  Tuskegee  Nor 
mal  and  Industrial  Institute,  which  is  the  official  title,  owned 
no  buildings,  2,110  acres  of  land,  about  350  head  of  live  stock, 
wagons,  carriages,  farm  implements  and  other  equipment 
amounting  in  value  to  $1,468,413.96.  Supplementing  this,  as 


72  A  NEW  FIELD  OF  ENDEAVOR. 

the  result  of  an  Act  of  Congress  in  1899,  *ne  school  had  received 
25,000  acres  of  mineral  land,  of  which  more  than  5,000  acres 
has  been  sold  and  the  money  applied  to  the  endowment  fund. 
The  remaining  more  than  19,000  acres  are  estimated  as  worth 
$250,000.  This  sum  added  to  the  regular  endowment  will 
give  the  institution  a  permanent  endowment  of  $2,192,112.08. 
The  total  value  of  all  property,  real  and  personal,  including 
the  endowment  fund,  at  this  time  was  estimated  at  $3,660,526.04. 

DESIRED  TO  PERPETUATE  WORK  OF  SCHOOL. 

The  endowment  fund  was  started  by  graduates  who  desired 
to  perpetuate  the  work  of  the  school  in  December,  1890.  The 
fund  was  designated  the  <(  Olivia  Davidson  Fund,"  in  memory 
of  the  first  woman  principal,  as  the  Dean  of  the  Woman's 
Department  was  designated.  The  first  sum  raised  was  $1,000. 
Among  the  subsequent  notable  contributions  were  one  from 
Collis  P.  Huntingdon,  $50,000;  a  $600,000  gift  from  Andrew 
Carnegie ;  one  of  $150,000  in  memory  of  William  H.  Baldwin, 
Jr.,  who  was  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  institution  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  and  $231,072  from  the  Estate  of  Albert  Wilcox. 

The  principal  buildings  are : 

The  Office  Building,  located  on  the  main  thoroughfare  of 
the  school  grounds ;  a  handsome  three-story  structure  of  28 
rooms,  in  which  are  located  the  Tuskegee  Institute  Bank,  the 
Government  Post  Office,  and  most  of  the  administrative  offices 
of  the  school. 

The  Dining  Hall,  known  as  Tompkins  Hall,  in  memory  of 
Charles  E.  Tompkins,  of  Southport,  Conn.;  the  largest  and 
most  imposing  building  on  the  school  grounds.  It  contains 
a  dining  room  large  eough  to  seat  the  180  teachers,  together 
with  the  i, 600  students  of  the  school,  and  has,  in  addition,  an 
assembly  room  large  enough  to  set  2,500  persons. 


A  NEW  FIELD  OF  ENDEAVOR.  73 

The  Collis  P.  Huntington  Memorial  Building,  which,  until 
the  erection  of  the  Dining  Hall,  was  the  largest  building  on 
the  school  grounds.  It  was  given  by  Mrs.  Collis  P.  Hunting- 
ton  in  memory  of  her  husband.  In  this  building  all  of  the 
academic  work  of  the  school  is  carried  on. 

The  John  A.  Andrew  Memorial  Hospital  was  dedicated 
and  formally  opened  on  February  21,  1913.  The  building 
was  given  by  a  Boston  friend  of  the  school  in  memory  of  her 
grandfather,  former  Governor  John  A.  Andrew,  of  Massachu 
setts.  The  building  cost  $50,000,  and  $5,000  additional  was 
provided  for  equipment.  The  Hospital  is  a  two-story  brick 
structure.  In  plan,  it  is  the  shape  of  the  letter  "  E,"  The  site 
on  which  it  stands  is  one  of  the  high  points  of  the  school  grounds 
and  overlooks  almost  the  entire  campus. 

SLATER-ARMSTRONG   MEMORIAL. 

The  Slater- Armstrong  Memorial  (Boy's  Trades)  Build 
ing,  in  which  the  mechanical  shops  are  located,  is  an  attractive 
and  impressive  brick  building  situated  a  little  west  of  the  centre 
of  the  campus.  It  is  283  x  315  feet  in  its  greatest  dimensions, 
and  accommodates  all  the  mechanical  industries,  excepting  the 
saw-mill,  electric  lighting  apparatus,  and  boilers,  which  are 
separately  housed,  and  the  brickyard. 

In  general  plan  the  building  is  arranged  about  the  four  sides 
of  a  central  court,  with  cross  wings  37  x  60  feet,  at  each  corner, 
thus  three  sides  of  the  entire  building  are  simply  supplied  with 
windows,  giving  an  abundance  of  light  and  air. 

Phelp's  Hall,  the  Bible  Trainng  School,  is  a  frame  struc 
ture,  three  stories  high,  exclusive  of  basement  or  attic.  The 
first  floor  contains  the  Chapel,  Library  and  Reading  Room,  the 
Dean's  office  and  three  recitation  rooms.  The  two  upper  floors 
are  used  for  sleeping  apartments. 


74 

Dorothy  Hall,  the  Girl's  Industrial  Building,  is  a  substan 
tial  structure  fronting  the  Slater-Armstrong  Memorial  Trades 
Building.  It  is  120  feet  by  144  feet  in  its  greatest  dimensions. 
In  plan,  it  is  in  the  shape  of  the  letter  "  H,"  the  front  or  central 
part  facing  the  west.  The  south  wing  of  the  building  and  the 
central  part  are  two  stories  high.  The  north  wing  is  three 
stories  high.  The  basement  story  contains  four  rooms.  These 
rooms  are  use  for  assorting  clothes  and  storing  material  belong 
ing  to  the  laundry.  Here  also  is  the  laundry  machinery  and 
the  tubs  for  hand  washing. 

MILLBANK  AGRICULTURAL  BUILDING. 

Millbank  Agricultural  Building  is  the  centre  of  the  agri 
cultural  life.  The  plan  of  the  building  is  rectangular.  It  is 
1 20  feet  long  by  60  feet  wide.  It  contains  a  creamery,  a  hog 
cholera  serum  laboratory,  a  class-room  arranged  for  studying 
live  stock,  museum,  general  laboratories  and  assembly  room. 

There  are  in  addition  a  Children's  House,  Chapel  and  num 
erous  lesser  buildings  for  specific  purposes,  together  with  these 
dormitories : 

Olivia  Davidson  Hall,  a  dormitory  for  young  men; 
one  of  the  older  buildings.  It  is  a  three-story  brick  structure, 
heated  and  lighted  from  the  central  heating  and  lighting  plant 
from  which  nearly  all  the  buildings  are  now  heated  and  lighted. 

Thrasher  Hall,  named  in  memory  of  Max  Bennett  Thrash 
er,  of  Westmoreland,  N.  H.,  a  three-story  brick  dormitory 
building  for  boys. 

Cassedy  Hall,  originally  occupied  by  mechanical  indus 
tries,  but  now  a  boy's  dormitory. 

Rockefeller  Hall,  a  three-story  brick  dormitory  building, 
housing  1 60  boys,  and  donated  by  John  D.  Rockefeller. 

Emery  Halls,  Nos.  I,  II,  III,  IV;  two-story  brick  dormi- 


A  NEW  FIELD  OF  ENDEAVOR.  75 

tory  buildings  for  young  women  and  presented  by  the  late  Miss 
Julia  E.  Emery,  of  London. 

Huntingdon  Hall,  a  two-story  brick  building,  the  gift  of 
Mrs.  Collis  P.  Huntingdon,  containing  23  rooms,  basement  and 
attic  and  used  as  girls'  dormitory. 

Douglass  Hall,  named  in  memory  of  Frederick  Douglass, 
and  used  as  a  girl's  dormitory.  It  contains  33  rooms  and  has 
an  assembly  room  seating  750  persons. 

The  White  Memorial  Hall,  erected  in  memory  of  Alexan 
der  Moss  White,  of  Brooklyn;  the  gift  of  his  heirs.  It  is  a 
girls'  dormitory. 

Tantum  Hall,  given  by  Margaret  W.  Tantum,  of  Trenton, 
New  Jersey,  in  memory  of  her  father;  also  a  dormitory  for 
girls. 

Carnegie  Library,  a  two-story  Colonial  brick  structure 
with  an  assembly  room  and  Historical  Museum  on  the  second 
floor. 

This  brief  outline  of  the  Institution  in  its  physical  sense 
is  given  merely  to  show  what  was  grown  out  of  "nothing." 
What  has  really  been  accomplished  cannot  be  estimated  in 
dollars  and  cents.  The  great  property  with  its  buildings  and 
equipment  is  simply  a  tool  of  education.  Dr.  Washington  had 
to  make  his  educational  tools  as  he  went  along,  and  it  was  in  the 
making  of  these,  and  the  results  he  achieved  in  the  use  of  them, 
that  he  came  after  a  few  years  to  step  from  the  confines  of 
Eastern  Alabama  into  the  lime  light  of  publicity  as  the  "  colored 
man  of  the  century/' 


CHAPTER  IV. 
A  JOB  OF  MAKING  CITIZENS  FROM  THE  ROUGH  , 

THOSE  who  have  had  the  opportunity  to  come  in  contact 
with  that  vast  army  of  colored  human  beings  to  be 
found  in  what  is  referred  to  as  the  Black  Belt  of  the 
South,  can  have  little  conception  of  the  raw  material  from  which 
Dr.  Washington  was  compelled  to  draw  in  his  efforts  to  build 
up  a  citizenry  of  his  race  which  would  prove  a  credit  to  the 
institution  which  he  started. 

"  I  found,"  said  Dr.  Washington,  on  one  occasion,  "  that 
while  many  of  those  who  came  to  us  had  a  superficial  knowledge 
of  things  which  they  had  previously  studied,  and  could  perhaps 
locate  the  Desert  of  Sahara  on  an  artificial  globe,  the  girls  could 
not  locate  the  proper  places  for  the  knives  or  forks  on  an  actual 
dinner  table." 

It  sounds  very  nice  now  to  tell  of  the  wonderful  progress 
made  by  the  institution,  and  there  may  be  some  who  have  a  con 
ception  of  the  great  difficulties  faced  by  Dr.  Washington  and  his 
aids,  but  no  one  can  possibly  experience  the  mental  stress  to 
which  the  negro  educator  was  subjected  while  trying  to  build 
his  school  and  secure  the  equipment  at  one  and  the  same  time. 

He  stood  before  the  world  as  a  man  who  was  trying  an 
experiment  which  was  doomed  to  failure.  It  was  generally 
believed  that  negroes  could  not  build  up  and  control  the  affairs 
of  a  large  institution  such  as  he  was  trying  to  establish — the 
presumption  was  against  him.  In  all  of  his  difficulties,  how 
ever,  Dr.  Washington,  in  his  writings,  in  his  conversation  and 
on  the  pubic  platform,  always  paid  a  tribute  to  the  people  of 
Tuskegee,  both  white  and  black,  who  he  declared  never  failed 

76 


MAKING  CITIZENS  EROM  THE  ROUGH.         77 

to  aid  him  in  his  endeavors  when  he  went  to  them  for  assis 
tance.  They  came  to  feel  as  he  hoped,  that  the  school  was  part 
of  the  community  and  belonged  to  all  of  the  people. 

One  of  Dr.  Washington's  experiences  which  he  has  re 
ferred  to  on  many  occasions,  and  which  shows  the  mountains 
he  was  compelled  to  surmount,  came  of  his  trying  to  manufac 
ture  bricks  for  the  contruction  of  his  own  buildings.  In  line 
with  his  early  established  policy  he  wanted  to  have  the  students 
do  all  of  the  work,  and  yet  the  time  came  when  it  was  necessary 
to  erect  substantial  buildings,  and  the  material  had  to  be  secured. 

BRICK-MAKING  WITH  ITS  ADVANTAGES. 

With  foresight  Dr.  Washington  saw  that  brickmaking, 
as  one  of  the  industries  established  in  connection  with  his  insti 
tute,  would  offer  many  advantages.  The  students  could  learn 
the  art,  it  would  provide  material  for  buildings,  and  the  work 
could  be  developed  to  a  point  where  it  would  become  profitable 
because  there  was  no  brickyard  in  or  near  Tuskegee.  Dr. 
Washington  knew  that  if  he  could  provide  something  which  the 
community  needed,  he  would  have  made  the  institution  indis- 
pensible  to  the  people.  Therefore  he  decided  to  make  brick. 

The  negro  leader  said  it  reminded  him  of  the  Biblical  story 
of  the  children  of  Israel  who  tried  to  make  bricks  without  straw. 
Tuskegee  had  the  straw,  but  it  had  no  money,  no  experience  and 
no  equipment.  Brickmaking,  as  every  one  knows,  is  hard,  dirty 
work ;  and  when  this  plan  was  decided  upon  the  distaste  of  the 
students  for  manual  labor  made  itself  manifest.  Some  of  the 
students  showed  such  an  antipathy  that  they  left  the  school 
rather  than  stand  in  the  mud  pits. 

When  finally  the  loyal  workers  had  moulded  enough  bricks 
for  one  kiln,  and  it  was  fired,  it  was  found  that  the  work  had  not 
been  properly  done  and  the  result  was  failure.  This  failure 


78 

made  it  still  more  difficult  to  get  the  students  to  engage  in  the 
work,  but  some  of  Dr.  Washington's  assistants  who  had  been 
trained  at  Hampton  volunteered  their  services  and  a  second  lot 
was  prepared  for  burning.  The  kiln  fell  in  this  instance  and 
the  result  was  the  same  as  before. 

THE  CASE  SEEMED  HOPELESS. 

At  this  stage  the  case  seemed  hopeless.  There  was  no 
money  and  there  was  much  opposition  to  the  plan.  Dr.  Wash 
ington  was,  however,  determined.  He  turned  to  his  personal 
possessions  and  pawned  a  watch  for  fifteen  dollars.  With  this 
sum  he  set  about  making  more  bricks  with  the  result  that  his 
efforts  were  crowned  with  success.  The  success  of  this  under 
taking  was  one  of  the  big  achievements  of  the  early  days,  for 
as  Dr.  Washington  anticipated,  people  who  had  previously  had 
no  interest  in  the  school,  but  who  learned  that  the  institution  was 
making  good  bricks,  went  there  and  made  purchases.  This 
opened  an  avenue  of  common  approach  and  established  many 
friendly  relations  with  builders,  contractors  and  prosperous 
persons. 

With  this  story  of  brickmaking  as  a  nucleus,  the  occasion 
is  opportune  for  briefly  citing  some  of  the  other  work  accom 
plished  by  the  willing  hands  of  the  colored  students  under  the 
direction  of  Dr.  Washington  and  his  co-workers. 

More  than  forty  trades  and  professions  are  taught  in  the 
institution  as  it  stands,  grouped  under  three  headings:  The 
School  of  Agriculture,  Department  of  Mechanical  Industries, 
and  the  Industries  for  Girls. 

The  first  industry  established,  that  of  farming,  had  for 
the  scene  of  the  early  operations  the  plot  of  ground  on  which 
stands  in  these  latter  days  the  Phelp's  Hall,  Huntingdon  Me 
morial  Hall  and  the  Canning  Factory.  Now  there  is  an  Ex- 


MAKING  CITIZENS  FROM  THE  ROUGH.         79 

perimental  Station  comprising  about  2300  acres,  with  about 
eighty  acres  used  for  trucking  to  supply  the  needs  of  the  insti 
tution  and  the  town  market ;  eighty  acres  devoted  to  small  fruits ; 
840  acres  for  general  farming  and  1300  acres  of  pasture. 

The  crops  include  many  tons  of  ensilage,  sweet  potatoes, 
corn,  oats,  hay,  greens,  lettuce,  onions,  beets,  lima  and  snap 
beans,  tomatoes,  rutabagas,  melons  and  canteloupes,  white  po 
tatoes  and  peas. 

THE  EXPERIMENTAL  FARM. 

The  Experimental  Farm  was  established  in  connection 
with  the  Agricultural  School  by  act  of  the  State  Legislature. 
Extensive  cotton  breeding  experiments  have  been  made  with 
success  in  this  connection  as  well,  and  it  is  a  matter  of  record 
that  some  of  the  graduates  of  the  institution  have  been  called 
by  the  German  Government  to  conduct  cotton  growing  experi 
ments  in  Africa,  and  that  under  their  direction  was  established 
a  "  cotton-growing  school  and  plant  breeding  station/'  which 
has  accomplished  some  very  excellent  results. 

There  are  peach  trees,  strawberry  plants,  grape  vines  and 
several  hundred  fig  trees  in  the  school  gardens,  while  as  a  result 
of  the  efforts  in  landscape  gardening,  horticulture  and  flori 
culture  the  school  is  surrounded  by  beautiful  trees,  hedges, 
shrubs  and  thousands  of  yards  of  green  lawn. 

In  the  Mechanical  Industries  Department  are  taught  car 
pentry,  woodworking,  printing,  tailoring,  blacksmithing,  wheel- 
wrighting,  harness  making,  shoemaking,  carriage  trimming, 
plumbing,  steamfitting,  electric  lighting,  architectural  drawing, 
mechanical  drawing,  painting,  tinning,  steam  engineering,  brick- 
making,  masonry,  plastering.  As  parts  of  the  carpentry  and 
woodworking  industry  there  are  classes  in  wood  turning,  scroll 


80        MAKING  CITIZENS  FROM  THE  ROUGH. 

and  machine  work,  cabinetmaking,  and  a  sawmill,  where  prac 
tical  knowledge  is  obtained  in  lumbering. 

The  industries  for  girls  include  cooking  and  domestic 
science,  dressmaking,  millinery,  mattress  making,  laundering 
and  tailoring. 

The  opportunities  to  learn  some  of  these  trades  and  call 
ings  are  in  addition  to  the  advantages  offered  in  the  academic 
department.  There  is  also  a  Bible  School  and  a  nurses'  train 
ing  school,  as  well  as  a  children's  or  model  school. 

MATTRESS  MAKING  A  NECESSITY. 

The  development  of  a  great  amount  of  this  work  came  as  a 
matter  of  necessity,  as  for  instance,  when  there  was  no  money 
to  provide  mattresses  and  pillows  for  the  dormitories,  the  stu 
dents  filled  bags  with  pine  needles,  until  one  day  a  student  be 
came  his  own  mattress  maker  in  attempting  to  renovate  one,  and 
a  newspaper  correspondent  who  was  noting  the  industries,  in 
cluded  mattress  making  in  the  list  of  things  he  saw  being  done. 
The  suggestion  was  followed  and  mattress  making  became 
one  of  the  industries.  Likewise  cabinet  and  furniture  making 
grew  out  of  necessity.  The  students  could  not  sit  on  the  rough 
board  floors  and  they  made  stools  of  two  or  three  boards  nailed 
together.  Carpentry  work  began,  and  gradually  better  stools, 
better  tables,  benches  and  chairs  came  to  be  part  of  the  general 
work. 

Here  in  Tuskegee  there  existed,  in  fact,  a  situation  which 
was  typical  of  the  sections  of  the  South  where  the  negroes  were 
thickest,  and  so  it  was  that  in  meeting  the  needs  of  the  immediate 
situation  the  school  solved  in  a  large  way  the  problem  of  the 
negro  in  general.  In  doing  this  it  developed  the  line  of  work 
required  by  the  people  in  their  natural  environment.  The 
institution  came  to  be  a  provider  for  the  country'round-about 


Copyright  by  Underwood  &  Underwood,  N.  Y. 

A  CLASS  IN  PHYSIOLOGY,  TUSKEGEE  INSTITUTE 
Every  member  of  the  class  shows  deep  interest,     They  are  good  students 
and  a  successful  life  awaits  them. 


Copyright  by  Underwood  &  Underwood,  X.  Y. 

GEOMETRY  CLASS,   TUSKEGEE  INSTITUTE 

The  coming  leaders  and  educators  of  the  race.      These  young  men  are  on 
edge  and  all  attention  in  seeking  a  higher  education. 


PYRAMID  OF  FLOWERS  COVERING  THE  GRAVE  OF  DR.  WASHINGTON 


MAKING  CITIZENS  FROM  THE  ROUGH.        81 

in  the  sense  that  it  showed  its  pupils  and  those  who  came  in 
contact  with  them  how  to  make  and  provide  the  things  actually 
needed  to  improve  conditions. 

THE  FAME  OF  THE  SCHOOL  SPREADS. 

Gradually  through  these  years  the  fame  of  the  school 
spread  and  the  demands  upon  it  became  so  great  that  it  seemed 
impossible  to  finance  it.  The  urgency  of  the  situation  is  really 
what  threw  Dr.  Washington  in  the  limelight.  At  the  most 
distressing  point  when  Dr.  Washington  and  his  assistants  were 
struggling  to  secure  funds,  General  Armstrong,  of  Hampton, 
who  may  be  credited  with  a  great  deal  of  the  success  which  Dr. 
Washington  enjoyed,  invited  his  protege  to  go  with  him  on  a 
trip  through  the  North.  The  General,  anxious  to  see  the  school 
of  his  pupil  succeed,  had  arranged  a  series  of  meetings,  to  be 
held  entirely  in  the  interest  of  Tuskegee  in  large  centres,  includ 
ing  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Boston,  Baltimore  and  other 
places. 

Here  Dr.  Washington  first  came  in  contact  in  a  broad  way 
with  the  people  of  the  North  and  considerable  money  was  raised, 
some  of  it  being  used  for  the  erection  of  Alabama  Hall,  one 
of  the  first  pretentious  structures  put  up.  This  trip  under  the 
direction  of  General  Armstrong  was  in  the  nature  of  an  intro 
duction  to  the  public  and  was  the  forerunner  of  many  journeys 
subsequently  taken  by  Dr.  Washington  in  an  effort  to  raise 
funds. 

Some  of  his  experiences  in  collecting  money  are  of  inciden 
tal  historical  interest,  since  he  came  in  contact  with  many  prom 
inent  personages.  Dr.  Washington  says  that  his  first  contribu 
tion  from  the  late  Collis  P.  Huntington  was  $2.00,  and  that  he 
had  difficulty  in  convincing  the  great  railroad  magnate  that 
Tuskegee  was  worthy  of  his  consideration.  Nevertheless,  Mr. 

6-W 


82        MAKING  CITIZENS  FROM  THE  ROUGH. 

and  Mrs.  Huntington  subsequently  made  many  contributions, 
one  gift  from  Mr.  Huntington  being  for  $50,000. 

The  persistency  with  which  Dr.  Washington  went  after 
funds  is  one  of  the  things  which  made  him  famous.  He  always 
declared  that  he  did  not  "  beg/'  but  whenever  he  felt  that  some 
thing  worth,  mentioning  had  been  done  at  Tuskegee,  when  some 
thing  had  been  accomplished,  he  wrote  or  had  sent  to  those 
whom  he  desired  to  interest  in  the  work,  concrete  statements  of 
what  had  been  done. 

"PUBLICITY  AND  PRESS  AGENT"  IN  EMBRYO. 

Dr.  Washington  was,  in  fact,  what  in  other  fields  might 
have  marked  him  a  fine  "  publicity  and  press  agent."  As  an 
illustration  of  his  persistency  in  this  direction  it  is  related  that 
when  he  first  solicited  a  contribution  from  Andrew  Carnegie, 
the  great  iron  master  seemed  to  not  be  greatly  interested  in  the 
Tuskegee  project.  Dr.  Washington  kept  approaching  or  bring 
ing  his  work  to  the  attention  of  the  iron  master  for  a  period  of 
ten  years  or  more.  The  library  at  the  school  was  in  a  little 
shanty  containing  scarcely  more  than  sixty  square  feet  of  floor 
space.  Finally  after  many  efforts  Dr.  Washington  wrote  a 
characteristic  letter  to  Mr.  Carnegie,  in  which  he  stated  that 
Tuskegee  had  upward  of  1200  students,  86  officers  and  instruc 
tors,  together  with  their  families,  and  about  200  colored  people 
living  near  the  school  who  would  make  use  of  the  library  build 
ing;  that  there  were  more  than  12,000  books,  periodicals,  etc., 
gifts  from  friends  with  no  suitable  place  for  them,  and  no 
suitable  reading-room. 

He  pointed  to  the  fact  that  Tuskegee  graduates  went  to 
work  in  every  section  of  the  South,  and  that  knowledge  ob 
tained  in  the  library  would  serve  to  assist  in  the  elevation  of  the 
Negro  race. 


Such  a  building,  Dr.  Washington  said,  could  be  erected  for 
about  $20,000.  All  of  the  work  for  the  building — brickmaking, 
brick-masonry,  carpentry — would  be  done  by  students.  The 
money  would  not  only  supply  the  building,  but  the  work  would 
give  a  large  number  of  students  opportunity  to  learn  the  building 
trades,  and  help  them  earn  enough  to  keep  themselves  in  school. 

The  effectiveness  of  Dr.  Washington's  methods  is  here  in 
dicated  by  the  fact  that  Tuskegee  has  a  Carnegie  Library  Build 
ing,  which  cost  $20,000.  The  iron  master  arose  to  the  occasion. 
The  State  of  Alabama  also  recognized  the  value  of  the  work 
and  increased  the  appropriation  several  thousand  dollars.  Ad 
ditional  support  was  also  received  from  the  Slater  and  Peabody 
Funds  for  educational  purposes. 

HIS  FIRST  PUBLIC  ADDRESS. 

The  first  public  address  of  note  delivered  by  Dr.  Washing 
ton  was  before  the  Educational  Association  at  Madison,  Wis., 
where  he  was  invited  to  appear  by  Thomas  W.  Bicknell,  pres 
ident  of  the  National  Association.  It  was  here  that  Dr.  Wash 
ington's  broad  views  on  the  race  question  and  his  specific  ut 
terances  as  to  the  methods  that  should  be  pursued  in  solving 
the  problem  won  for  him  unusual  recognition.  Particularly 
were  comments  favorable  on-  his  attitude  toward  the  people 
of  the  South,  and  from  this  point  onward  he  soon  became  known 
as  the  foremost  speaker  of  his  race  on  the  negro  and  educational 
problems. 

By  way  of  illustrating  how  he  was  trying  to  win  the  respect 
of  the  Southern  white  people  for  the  students  and  the  members 
of  his  race,  Dr.  Washington  told  in  his  address  of  one  instance 
where  a  graduate  of  Tuskegee,  through  application  of  his 
knowledge  of  the  chemistry  of  the  soil,  and  improved  methods 
of  farming,  had  produced  two  hundred  and  sixty-six  bushels 


84        MAKING  CITIZENS  FROM  THE  ROUGH. 

of  potatoes  from  an  acre  of  ground  where  the  production  had 
previously  averaged  not  more  than  forty-nine  bushels.  This 
potato  raising,  he  explained,  did  not,  or  was  not  to  represent 
the  ultimate  ambition  of  that  student  or  his  progeny.  It  was 
but  a  step,  the  theory  of  education  as  applied  at  Tuskegee  being 
that  by  succeeding  in  this  line  of  endeavor — in  any  specific 
line — any  student  could  lay  the  foundation  upon  which  his 
children  and  grandchildren  could  grow  to  higher  and  more  im 
portant  things. 

A  MOST  IMPORTANT  OPPORTUNITY. 

Perhaps  the  one  opportunity  which  proved  of  greatest 
importance  to  Dr.  Washington  came  when  he  was  invited  to 
deliver  an  address  at  the  opening  of  the  Atlanta  Cotton  States 
and  International  Exposition  at  Atlanta,  Ga.,  in  September, 
1895.  The  occasion  almost  marked  an  epoch  in  the  South  in 
the  matter  of  fixing  a  new  relationship  between  the  whites  and 
the  blacks  and  has  been  the  subject  of  much  discussion  and 
comment. 

The  opportunity  came  to  Dr.  Washington  largely  as  the 
result  of  his  being  requested  to  be  one  of  a  committee  which 
went  to  Washington  to  represent  the  city  of  Atlanta  before  Con 
gress  in  an  effort  to  secure  Government  help  for  the  Exposition. 
The  committee  was  composed  of  more  than  two  score  prominent 
white  citizens  of  Georgia.  The  colored  members  included  be 
sides  Booker  T.  Washington,  Bishops  Grant  and  Gaines.  In 
his  talk  before  Congress  Dr.  Washington  used  all  the  power 
of  his  mentality  to  make  it  apparent  that  something  ought  to 
be  done  to  help  solve  the  race  question  and  bring  the  whites 
and  blacks  of  the  South  in  more  harmonious  relation,  and  that 
the  Exposition  would  serve  to  show  what  advance  had  been 
made  by  the  whites  and  Slacks  of  the  whole  South. 


MAKING  CITIZENS  FROM  THE  ROUGH.        85 

When  after  Congress  voted  an  appropriation  to  the  Ex 
position  and  its  success  seemed  assured,  and  it  was  further  de 
cided  to  have  a  colored  race  erect  and  maintain  a  building 
to  show  its  progress,  Dr.  Washington  was  invited  to  make  the 
opening  address  as  the  representative  of  the  colored  race  at  the 
Exposition.  The  Negro  Exhibit  was  arranged  under  the  direc 
tion  of  I.  Garland  Penn,  of  Lynchburg,  Va.,  and  included  dis 
plays  from  both  Hampton  and  Tuskegee,  which  attracted  wide 
spread  attention.  It  was  the  first  exhibition  in  which  the  work 
of  the  colored  race  was  to  be  shown. 

OF  GREAT  SIGNIFICANCE  TO  HIS  RACE. 

The  inviting  of  Dr.  Washington  to  make  an  address  at 
the  Exposition  as  one  of  the  principals  had  a  significance  which 
to  him  and  to  the  members  of  his  race  had  no  counterpart  in 
history.  He  had  been  a  slave;  his  early  years  had  been  spent 
in  poverty  and  obscurity;  he  was  without  family,  and  it  was 
the  first  time  that  a  colored  man  had  been  asked  to  speak  from 
the  same  platform  as  Southern  white  men  and  women  on  any 
great  occasion.  An  audience  representing  the  best  element  of 
the  South  would  be  present  and  the  fact  that  a  colored  man  was 
to  make  such  a  speech  was  the  subject  of  widespread  interest. 

On  the  auspicious  day  Atlanta  was  packed  with  humanity. 
Negroes  vied  with  each  other  in  an  effort  to  see  the  member  of 
their  race  who  was  honored  by  the  Exposition  officials,  and  who, 
it  might  be  said,  was  to  honor  them.  Word  pictures  have  been 
painted  long  since  of  the  notable  procession  in  which  Dr.  Wash 
ington  found  himself  on  the  way  to  the  Exposition  grounds, 
along  with  many  prominent  colored  citizens  and  a  negro  mili 
tary  escort. 

What  occurred  is  a  matter  of  history  in  that  it  relates  to 
the  rapidly  changing  attitude  toward  the  negroes  in  the  South. 


It  is  therefore  important  that  what  Dr.  Washington  said  on  this 
occasion  should  be  part  of  his  story.  He  was  introduced  by 
Governor  Bullock,  of  Georgia,  as  "  A  representative  of  Negro 
enterprise  and  Negro  civilization." 

Looking  down  upon  a  sea  of  faces,  men  and  women  in 
every  station  of  life — whites  and  blacks — all  expectant,  Dr. 
Washington,  said : 

DR.  WASHINGTON'S  ADDRESS. 

"  Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Board  of  Directors 
and  Citizens :  "  One-third  of  the  population  of  the  South  is  of 
the  Negro  race.  No  enterprise  seeking  the  material,  civil,  or 
moral  welfare  of  this  section  can  disregard  this  element  of  our 
population  and  reach  the  highest  success.  I  but  convey  to  you, 
Mr.  President  and  Directors,  the  sentiment  of  the  masses  of  my 
race,  when  I  say  that  in  no  way  have  the  value  and  manhood  of 
the  American  Negro  been  more  fittingly  and  generously  recog 
nized  than  by  the  managers  of  this  magnificent  Exposition  at 
every  stage  of  its  progress.  It  is  a  recognition  that  will  do 
more  to  cement  the  friendship  of  the  two  races  than  any  occur 
rence  since  the  dawn  of  our  freedom. 

"  Not  only  this,  but  the  opportunity  here  afforded  will 
awaken  among  us  a  new  era  of  industrial  progress.  Ignorant 
and  inexperienced,  it  is  not  strange  that  in  the  first  years  of 
our  new  life  we  began  at  the  top  instead  of  at  the  bottom ;  that 
a  seat  in  Congress  or  the  state  legislature  was  more  sought  than 
real  estate  or  industrial  skill;  that  the  political  convention  or 
stump  speaking  had  more  attractions  than  starting  a  dairy  farm 
or  truck  garden. 

:<  A  ship  lost  at  sea  for  many  days  suddenly  sighted  a 
friendly  vessel.  From  the  mast  of  the  unfortunate  vessel  was 
seen  a  signal,  'Water,  water;  we  die  of  thirst;'  The  answer 


MAKING  CITIZENS  FROM  THE  ROUGH.        87 

from  the  friendly  vessel  at  once  came  back,  '  Cast  down  your 
bucket  where  you  are/  A  second  time  the  signal,  '  Water, 
water;  send  us  water;'  ran  up  the  distressed  vessel,  and  was 
answered, '  Cast  down  your  bucket  where  you  are/  And  a  third 
and  fourth  signal  for  water  was  answered,  '  Cast  down  your 
bucket  where  you  are/  The  Captain  of  the  distressed  vessel, 
at  last  heeding  the  injunction,  cast  down  his  bucket,  and  it  carne 
up  full  of  fresh,  sparkling  water  from  the  mouth  of  the  Amazon 
River.  To  those  of  my  race  who  depend  upon  bettering  their 
condition  in  a  foreign  land,  or  who  underestimate  the  impor 
tance  of  cultivating  friendly  relations  with  the  Southern  white 
man,  who  is  their  next  door  neighbor,  I  would  say,  '  Cast  down 
your  bucket  where  you  are' — cast  it  down  making  friends  in 
every  manly  way  of  the  people  of  all  races  by  whom  we  are  sur 
rounded.  Cast  it  down  in  agriculture,  in  mechanics,  in  com 
merce,  in  domestic  service,  and  in  the  professions.  And  in  this 
connection  it  may  be  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  whatever  other 
sins  the  South  may  be  called  upon  to  bear,  when  it  comes  to 
business,  pure  and  simple,  it  is  in  the  South  that  the  Negro  is 
given  a  man's  chance  in  the  commercial  world,  and  in  nothing 
is  this  Exposition  more  eloquent  than  in  emphasizing  this 
chance.  Our  greatest  danger  is  that  in  the  great  leap  from  slav 
ery  to  freedom  we  may  overlook  the  fact  that  the  masses  of  us 
are  to  live  by  the  productions  of  our  hands,  and  fail  to  keep  in 
mind  that  we  shall  prosper  in  proportion  as  we  learn  to  dignify 
and  glorify  common  labor  and  put  brains  and  skill  into  the  com 
mon  occupations  of  life;  shall  prosper  in  proportion  as  we  learn 
to  draw  the  line  between  the  superficial  and  the  substantial,  the 
ornamental  gewgaws  of  life  and  the  useful.  No  race  can  pros 
per  till  it  learns  that  there  is  as  much  dignity  in  tilling  a  field 
as  in  writing  a  poem.  It  is  at  the  bottom  of  life  we  must  begin, 


88        MAKING  CITIZENS  FROM  THE  ROUGH. 

and  not  at  the  top.     Nor  should  we  permit  our  grievances  to 
overshadow  our  opportunities. 

"  To  those  of  the  white  race  who  look  to  the  incoming  of 
those  of  foreign  birth  and  strange  tongue  and  habits  for  the 
prosperity  of  the  South,  were  I  permitted  I  would  repeat  what 
I  say  to  my  own  race,  '  Cast  down  your  bucket  where  you  are/ 
Cast  it  down  among  the  eight  millions  of  Negroes  whose  habits 
you  know,  whose  fidelity  and  love  you  have  tested  in  days  when 
to  have  proved  treacherous  meant  the  ruin  of  your  fireside. 
Cast  down  your  bucket  among  these  people  who  have,  without 
strikes  and  labor  wars,  tilled  your  fields,  cleared  your  forests, 
builded  your  railroads  and  cities,  and  brought  forth  treasures 
from  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  and  helped  make  possible  this  mag 
nificent  representation  of  the  progress  of  the  South.  Casting 
down  your  bucket  among  my  people,  helping  and  encouraging 
them  as  you  are  doing  on  these  grounds,  and  to  education  of 
head,  hand  and  heart,  you  will  find  that  they  will  buy  your  sur 
plus  land,  make  blossom  the  waste  places  in  your  fields,  and  run 
your  factories.  While  doing  this,  you  can  be  sure  in  the  future, 
as  in  the  past,  that  you  and  your  families  will  be  surrounded  by 
the  most  patient,  faithful,  law-abiding,  and  unresentful  people 
that  the  world  has  seen.  As  we  have  proved  our  loyalty  to  you 
in  the  past,  in  nursing  your  children,  watching  by  the  sick-bed 
of  your  mothers  and  fathers,  and  often  following  them  with 
tear-dimmed  eyes  to  their  graves,  so  in  the  future,  in  our  hum 
ble  way,  we  shall  stand  by  you  with  devotion  that  no  foreigner 
can  approach,  ready  to  lay  down  our  lives,  if  need  be,  in  defense 
of  yours,  interlacing  our  industrial,  commercial,  civil,  and  re 
ligious  life  with  yours  in  a  way  that  shall  make  the  interests  of 
both  races  one.  In  all  things  that  are  purely  social  we  can  be 


MAKING  CITIZENS  FROM  THE  ROUGH.        89 

as  separate  as  the  fingers,  yet  one  as  the  hand  in  all  things  es 
sential  to  mutual  progress. 

"  There  is  no  defense  or  security  for  any  of  us  except  in  the 
highest  intelligence  and  development  of  all.  If  anywhere  there 
are  efforts  tending  to  curtail  the  fullest  growth  of  the  negro, 
let  these  efforts  be  turned  into  stimulating,  encouraging  and 
making  him  the  most  useful  and  intelligent  citizen.  Effort 
or  means  so  invested  will  pay  a  thousand  per  cent,  interest. 
These  efforts  will  be  twice  blest — '  blessing  him  that  gives  and 
him  that  takes/ 

"  There  is  no  escape  through  law  of  man  nor  God  from  the 
inevitable : 

"  The  laws  of  changeless  justice  bind 

Oppressor  with  oppressed ; 

And  close  as  sin  and  suffering  joined 

We  march  to  fate  abreast." 

"  Nearly  sixteen  millions  of  hands  will  aid  you  in  pulling 
the  load  upward,  or  they  will  pull  against  you  the  load  down 
ward.  We  shall  constitute  one-third  and  more  of  the  ignorance 
and  crime  of  the  South,  or  one-third  its  intelligence  and  prog 
ress  ;  we  shall  contribute  one-third  to  the  business  and  industrial 
prosperity  of  the  South,  or  we  shall  prove  a  veritable  body  of 
death,  stagnating,  depressing,  retarding  every  effort  to  advance 
the  body  politic. 

'  Gentlemen  of  the  Exposition,  as  we  present  to  you  our 
humble  effort  at  an  exhibition  of  our  progress,  you  must  not 
expect  overmuch.  Starting  thirty  years  ago  with  ownership 
here  and  there  in  a  few  quilts  and  pumpkins  and  chickens 
(gathered  from  miscellaneous  sources),  remember  the  path  that 
has  led  from  these  to  the  inventions  and  production  of  agricul- 


90        MAKING  CITIZENS  FROM  THE  ROUGH. 

tural  implements,  buggies,  steam-engines,  newspapers,  books, 
statuary,  carvings,  paintings,  the  management  of  drug-stores 
and  banks,  has  not  been  trodden  without  contact  with  thorns  and 
thistles.  While  we  take  pride  in  what  we  exhibit  as  a  result 
of  our  independent  efforts,  we  do  not  for  a  moment  forget  that 
our  part  in  this  exhibition  would  fall  far  short  of  your  expec 
tations,  but  for  the  constant  help  that  has  come  to  our  educa 
tional  life,  not  only  from  the  Southern  States,  but  especially 
from  Northern  philanthropists,  who  have  made  their  gifts  a 
constant  stream  of  blessing  and  encouragement. 

"  The  wisest  among  my  race  understand  that  the  agitation 
of  questions  of  social  equality  is  the  extremest  folly,  and  that 
progress  in  the  enjoyment  of  all  the  privileges  that  will  come  to 
us  must  be  the  result  of  severe  and  constant  struggle  rather 
than  of  artificial  forcing.  No  race  that  has  anything  to  con 
tribute  to  the  markets  of  the  world  is  long  in  any  degree  ostra 
cized.  It  is  important  and  right  that  all  privileges  of  the  law  be 
ours,  but  it  is  vastly  more  important  that  we  be  prepared  for 
the  exercises  of  these  privileges.  The  opportunity  to  earn  a 
dollar  in  a  factory  just  now  is  worth  infinitely  more  than  the  op 
portunity  to  spend  a  dollar  in  an  opera  house. 

"  In  conclusion,  I  may  repeat  that  nothing  in  thirty  years 
has  given  us  more  hope  and  encouragement  and  drawn  us  so 
near  to  you  of  the  white  race,  as  this  opportunity  offered  by  the 
Exposition,  and  here  bending  as  it  were,  over  the  altar  that  rep 
resents  the  results  of  the  struggles  of  your  race  and  mine,  both 
started  practically  empty-handed,  three  decades  ago.  I  pledge 
that  in  your  effort  to  work  out  the  great  and  intricate  problem 
which  God  has  laid  at  the  doors  of  the  South,  you  shall  have 
at  all  times  the  patient  sympathetic  help  of  my  race.  Only  let 
this  be  constantly  in  mind,  that,  while  from  representations  in 


MAKING  CITIZENS  FROM  THE  ROUGH.        91 

these  buildings  of  the  product  of  field,  of  forest,  of  mine,  of 
factory,  letters  and  art,  much  good  will  come,  yet  far  above  and 
beyond  material  benefits  will  be  that  higher  good,  that,  let  us 
pray  God,  will  come  in  a  blotting  out  of  sectional  differences  and 
racial  animosities  and  suspicions,  in  a  determination  to  ad 
minister  absolute  justice,  in  a  willing  obedience  among  all  classes 
to  the  mandates  of  law.  This,  coupled  with  our  material  pros 
perity  will  bring  into  our  beloved  South  a  new  heaven  and  a  new 
earth." 

The  Atlanta  speech  was  reported  in  full  by  leading  news 
papers  all  over  the  country  and  few  public  utterances  had  re 
ceived  more  wide-spread  circulation  or  been  more  favorably 
commented  upon. 

As  an  example  of  the  way  in  which  his  address  was  re 
ceived,  and  as  showing  the  effect  it  had  upon  the  public  mind, 
the  following  report  from  the  New  York  World,  by  special  cor 
respondent,  under  date  of  September  18,  1895,  is  reprinted. 

THE  WAY  HIS  ADDRESS  WAS  RECEIVED. 

"  While  President  Cleveland  was  waiting  at  Gray  Gables 
to-day,  to  send  the  electric  spark  that  started  the  machinery  of 
the  Atlanta  Exposition,  a  Negro  Moses  stood  before  a  great  au 
dience  of  white  people  and  delivered  an  oration  that  marks  a  new 
epoch  in  the  history  of  the  South ;  and  a  body  of  Negro  troops 
marched  in  a  procession  with  the  citizen  soldiery  of  Georgia  and 
Louisiana.  The  whole  city  is  thrilling  to-night  with  a  realiza 
tion  of  the  extraordinary  significance  of  these  two  unprece 
dented  events.  Nothing  has  happened  since  Henry  Grady's 
immortal  speech  before  the  New  England  Society  in  New  York, 
that  indicates  so  profoundly  the  spirit  of  the  New  South,  except, 
perhaps  the  opening  of  the  Exposition  itself. 

"  When  Professor  Booker  T.  Washington,  Principal  of  aft 


92        MAKING  CITIZENS  FROM  THE  ROUGH. 

industrial  school  for  colored  people  in  Tuskegee,  Ala.,  stood 
on  the  platform  of  the  Auditorium,  with  the  sun  shining  over 
the  heads  of  his  auditors  into  his  eyes,  and  with  his  whole  face 
lit  up  with  the  fire  of  prophecy,  Clark  Howell,  the  successor  of 
Henry  Grady,  said  to  me,  '  That  man's  speech  is  the  beginning 
of  a  moral  revolution  in  America/ 

"  It  is  the  first  time  that  a  Negro  has  made  a  speech  in 
the  South  on  any  important  occasion  before  an  audience  com 
posed  of  white  men  and  women.  It  electrified  the  audience, 
and  the  response  was  as  if  it  had  come  from  the  throat  of  a 
whirlwind. 

"  Mrs.  Thompson  had  hardly  taken  her  seat  when  all  eyes 
were  turned  on  a  tall  tawny  Negro  sitting  in  the  front  row 
of  the  platform.  It  was  Professor  Booker  T.  Washington, 
President  of  the  Tuskegee  Alabama  Normal  and  Industrial 
Institute,  who  must  rank  from  this  time  forth  as  the  foremost 
man  of  his  race  in  America.  Gilmore's  Band  played  the  Star 
Spangled  Banner/  and  the  audience  cheered.  The  tune  changed 
to  '  Dixie/  and  the  audience  roared  with  shrill '  hi-yis/  Again 
the  music  changed,  this  time  to  '  Yankee  Doodle/  and  the 
clamor  lessened. 

"  All  this  time  the  eyes  of  the  thousands  present  looked 
straight  at  the  Negro  orator.  A  strange  thing  was  to  happen.  A 
black  man  was  to  speak  for  his  people  with  none  to  interrupt  him. 
As  Professor  Washington  strode  to  the  edge  of  the  stage,  the 
low,  descending  sun  shot  fiery  rays  through  the  windows  into 
his  face.  A  great  shout  greeted  him.  He  turned  his  head 
to  avoid  the  blinding  light,  and  moved  about  the  platform  for 
relief.  Then  he  turned  his  wonderful  countenance  to  the  sun 
without  a  blink  of  the  eyelids,  and  began  to  talk. 

"  There  was  a  remarkable  figure ;  tall,  bony,  straight  as  a 


MAKING  CITIZENS  FROM  THE  ROUGH.        93 

Sioux  chief,  high  forehead,  straight  nose,  heavy  jaws,  and 
strong,  determined  mouth,  with  big  white  teeth,  piercing  eyes, 
and  a  commanding  manner.  The  sinews  stood  out  on  his 
bronzed  neck,  and  his  muscular  right  arm  swung  high  in  the  air, 
with  a  lead-pencil  grasped  in  the  clinched  brown  fist.  His  big 
feet  were  planted  squarely,  with  the  heels  together  and  the  toes 
turned  out.  His  voice  rang  out  clear  and  true,  and  he  paused 
impressively  as  he  made  each  point.  Within  ten  minutes  the 
multitude  was  in  an  uproar  of  enthusism — handkerchiefs  were 
waved,  canes  were  flourished,  hats  were  tossed  in  the  air.  The 
fairest  women  of  Georgia  stood  up  and  cheered.  It  was  as  if 
the  orator  had  bewitched  them. 

"  And  when  he  held  his  dusky  hand  high  above  his  head, 
with  the  fingers  stretched  wide  apart,  and  said  to  the  white 
people  of  the  South  on  behalf  of  his  race,  '  In  all  things  that 
are  purely  social  we  can  be  as  separate  as  the  fingers,  yet  one 
as  the  hand  in  all  things  essential  to  mutual  progress/  the  great 
wave  of  sound  dashed  itself  against  the  walls,  and  the  whole 
audience  was  on  its  feet  in  a  delirium  of  applause,  and  I  thought 
at  that  moment  of  the  night  when  Henry  Grady  stood  among  the 
curling  wreaths  of  tobacco-smoke  in  Delmonico's  banquet-hall, 
and  said,  '  I  am  a  Cavalier  among  Roundheads/ 

"  I  have  heard  the  great  orators  of  many  countries,  but 
not  even  Gladstone  himself  could  have  pleaded  a  cause  with 
more  consummate  power  than  did  this  angular  Negro,  standing 
in  a  nimbus  of  sunshine,  surrounded  by  the  men  who  once  fought 
to  keep  his  race  in  bondage.  The  roar  might  swell  ever  so  high, 
but  the  expression  of  his  earnest  face  never  changed. 

'  A  ragged,  ebony  giant,  squatted  on  the  floor  in  one  of 
the  aisles,  watched  the  orator  with  burning  eyes  and  tremulous 
face  until  the  supreme  burst  of  applause  came,  and  then  the 


94        MAKING  CITIZENS  FROM  THE  ROUGH. 

tears  ran  down  his  face.  Most  of  the  Negroes  in  the  audience 
were  crying,  perhaps  without  knowing  just  why. 

"  At  the  close  of  the  speech  Governor  Bullock  rushed  across 
the  stage  and  seized  the  orator's  hand.  Another  shout  greeted 
this  demonstration,  and  for  a  few  minutes  the  two  men  stood 
facing  each  other,  hand  in  hand." 

Letters  and  telegrams  of  congratulations  poured  in  upon 
the  honored  negro  educator,  and  he  was  tendered  many  invita 
tions  to  deliver  addresses.  Lecture  bureaus  sought  his  ser 
vices,  several  making  very  flattering  offers. 

As  again  indicating  the  importance  with  which  he  regarded 
his  work  for  his  own  race,  and  showing  how  unselfish  he  was,  it 
is  worthy  of  note  that  he  refused  to  accept  these  offers  which 
could  have  meant  thousands  of  dollars  to  him,  and  continued  to 
devote  his  energies  in  the  interest  of  Tuskegee  Institute  and  the 
colored  people  around  about  him. 

While  he  was  receiving  the  congratulations  of  the  world 
in  general,  not  all  of  the  comments  were  favorable.  Some  of 
the  members  of  his  own  race  were  critical  because  they  felt  that 
he  had  not  vigorously  pleaded  their  cause. 


CHAPTER  V. 

/ 

IN  THE  FULL  LIGHT  OF  PUBLICITY. 

FOLLOWING  the  address  at  Atlanta,  which  brought  him 
very  prominently  before  the  public,  Dr.  Washington  re 
ceived  from  President  Cleveland  a  cherished  autograph 
letter,  in  which  the  Nation's  Chief  Executive  said  regarding 
the  Atlanta  address : 

"  I  thank  you  with  much  enthusiasm  for  making  the  ad 
dress.  I  have  read  it  with  intense  interest,  and  I  think  the  Ex 
position  would  be  fully  justified  if  it  did  not  do  more  than  fur 
nish  the  opportunity  for  its  delivery.  Your  words  cannot  fail 
to  delight  and  encourage  all  who  wish  well  for  your  race ;  and  if 
our  colored  fellow-citizens  do  not  from  your  utterances  gather 
new  hope  and  form  new  determination  to  gain  every  valuable 
advantage  offered  them  by  their  citizenship,  it  will  be  strange 
indeed." 

Subsequently,  incident  to  a  visit  to  the  Atlanta  Exposition, 
President  Cleveland  spent  an  hour  in  the  Negro  Exhibit  Build 
ing,  where  he  was  met  by  Dr.  Washington.  Thereafter  the 
President  showed  great  interest  in  the  work  and  used  his  in 
fluence  in  the  interest  of  the  things  which  Dr.  Washington  was 
doing  at  Tuskegee. 

During  the  period  immediately  following  the  Atlanta  Ex 
position,  Dr.  Washington  made  addresses  before  many  prom 
inent  organizations,  churches  and  educational  institutions  in 
cities  and  large  centres  all  over  the  country,  and  attained  a 
degree  of  popularity  as  a  speaker  which  has  not  been  equaled  by 
any  other  colored  man,  not  excepting  Frederick  Douglass,  whose 
footsteps  he  in  a  manner  followed. 

95 


96  IN  THE  FULL  LIGHT  OF  PUBLICITY. 

But  the  very  pinnacle  of  his  success  was  reached  in  1896, 
when,  in  June,  Harvard  University  conferred  upon  him  the  hon 
orary  degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  Harvard  has  in  her  time  con 
ferred  many  degrees,  but  this  was  the  first  time  in  the  history 
of  the  famous  old  institution  that  it  had  placed  the  mantle  upon 
the  shoulders  of  a  negro. 

In  commenting  upon  this  Dr.  Washington  said  that  the 
notification  that  he  was  to  be  so  honored  was  the  most  surpris 
ing  incident  of  his  life.  He  had  not  the  slightest  intimation  that 
he  was  to  be  the  recipient  of  such  recognition.  The  notification 
from  the  famous  old  seat  of  education  came  to  him  while  he 
was  seated  with  his  family  at  home  in  Tuskegee. 

SPECULATES  ON  UNUSUAL  SITUATION. 

Here  in  the  shadow  of  the  institution  he  was  building, 
Dr.  Washington  speculated  on  the  unusual  situation  that  pre 
sented  itself.  His  life  as  a  slave,  his  work  in  the  coal  mine,  the 
times  when  he  was  without  food  or  money,  his  struggles  for  an 
education,  the  trying  days  at  Tuskegee,  the  ostracism  and  pre 
judice  exhibited  against  his  race — these  things  and  incidents 
passed  before  his  eyes,  and  yet  he  was  to  receive  this  rare  recog 
nition  from  a  great  institution  of  learning. 

It  was  no  dream.  It  was  beautiful  realism.  So,  on  June 
24,  1896,  at  the  famous  seat  of  learning,  Dr.  Washington  met 
President  Eliot,  The  Board  of  Overseers  of  Harvard  Univer 
sity  and  other  guests  who  were  to  be  honored,  among  them 
Alexander  Graham  Bell,  inventor  of  the  Bell  Telephone,  and 
General  Nelson  A.  Miles,  of  the  United  States  Army,  and, 
with  all  the  pomp  and  ceremony  which  has  made  Harvard's 
Commencement  famous,  was  marched  to  Sanders  Theatre. 
Here  President  Eliot  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  Master 
of  Arts.  Afterwards  those  honored  were  guests  at  the  alumni 


IN  THE  FULL  LIGHT  OF  PUBLICITY.  97 

dinner  in  Memorial  Hall,  where  Dr.  Washington  in  a  short  ad 
dress  said  among  other  things : 

"  It  would  in  some  measure  relieve  my  embarrassment  if 
I  could,  even  in  slight  degree,  feel  myself  worthy  of  the  great 
honor  which  you  do  me  to-day.  Why  you  have  called  me  from 
the  Black  Belt  of  the  South,  from  among  my  humble  people, 
to  share  in  the  honors  of  this  occasion,  is  not  for  me  to  explain ; 
and  yet  it  may  not  be  inappropriate  for  me  to  suggest  that  it 
seems  to  me  that  one  of  the  most  vital  questions  that  touch 
our  American  life  is  how  to  bring  the  strong,  wealthy,  and 
learned  into  helpful  touch  with  the  poorest,  most  ignorant,  and 
humblest,  and  at  the  same  time  make  one  appreciate  the  vitaliz 
ing,  strengthening  influence  of  the  other.  How  shall  we  make 
the  mansions  on  yon  Beacon  Street  feel  and  see  the  need  of  the 
spirits  in  the  lowliest  cabin  in  Alabama  cottonfields  or  Louisiana 
sugar-bottoms  ?.  This  problem  Harvard  University  is  solving, 
not  by  bringing  itself  3own,  but  by  bringing  the  masses  up. 

KINDLY  ASSURANCES. 

"  If  my  life  in  the  past  has  meant  anything  in  the  lifting 
up  of  my  people,  and  the  bringing  about  of  better  relations 
between  your  race  and  mine,  I  assure  you  from  this  day  it 
will  mean  doubly  more.  In  the  economy  of  God  there  is  but 
one  standard  by  which  an  individual  can  succeed — there  is  but 
one  for  a  race.  This  country  demands  that  every  race  shall 
measure  itself  by  the  American  standard.  By  it  a  race  must 
rise  or  fall,  succeed  or  fail,  and  in  the  last  analysis  mere  senti 
ment  counts  for  little.  During  the  next  half-century  and  more, 
my  race  must  continue  passing  through  the  severe  American 
crucible.  We  are  to  be  tested  in  our  patience,  our  forebear- 
ance,  our  perseverance,  our  power  to  endure  wrong,  to  with 
stand  temptations,  to  economize,  to  acquire  and  use  skill ;  in  our 

7-W 


98  IN  THE  FULL  LIGHT  OF  PUBLICITY. 

ability  to  compete,  to  succeed  in  commerce,  to  disregard  the 
superficial  for  the  real,  the  appearance  for  the  substance,  to  be 
great  and  yet  small,  learned  and  yet  simple,  high  and  yet  the 
servant  of  all." 

How  this  unusual  event  was  regarded  in  Boston  and 
throughout  New  England  is  reflected  in  the  following  editorial 
from  a  Boston  newspaper  of  relative  date : 

RECEIVES   MASTER  OF  ARTS  DEGREE. 

"In  conferring  the  honorary  degree  of  Master  of  Arts 
upon  the  Principal  of  Tuskegee  Institute,  Harvard  University 
has  honored  itself  as  well  as  the  object  of  this  distinction.  The 
work  which  Professor  Booker  T.  Washington  has  accomplished 
for  the  education,  good  citizenship,  and  popular  enlightenment 
in  his  chosen  field  of  labor  in  the  South  entitles  him  to  rank  with 
our  national  benefactors.  The  university  which  can  claim  him 
on  its  list  of  sons,  whether  in  regular  course  or  honoris  causa, 
may  be  proud. 

'  It  has  been  mentioned  that  Mr.  Washington  is  the  first 
of  his  race  to  receive  an  honorary  degree  from  a  New  England 
university.  This  in  itself  is  a  distinction.  But  the  degree 
Was  not  conferred  because  Mr.  Washington  is  a  colored  man, 
or  because  he  was  born  in  slavery,  but  because  he  has  shown,  by 
his  work  for  the  elevation  of  the  people  of  the  Black  Belt  of 
the  South,  a  genius  and  a  broad  humanity  which  count  for  great 
ness  in  any  man,  whether  his  skin  be  white  or  black." 

Another  occasion  on  which  Dr.  Washington  was  accorded 
recognition  which  marked  him  a  leader  in  public  affairs  was 
when  he  was  invited  to  deliver  an  address  at  the  dedication  of 
the  famous  Robert  Gould  Shaw  monument  in  Boston.  The 
monument  faces  the  State  House  near  the  head  of  the  Boston 


IN  THE  FULL  LIGHT  OF  PUBLICITY.  99 

Commons  and  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  art  of 
its  kind  in  the  country. 

The  dedicatory  exercises  were  held  in  Music  Hall,  in 
Boston,  and  the  meeting  was  presided  over  by  Governor  Roger 
Wolcott,  of  Massachusetts.  Again  as  showing  the  manner  in 
which  Dr.  Washington  was  regarded  by  the  public  the  columns 
of  the  newspapers  of  the  period  are  referred  to,  and  the  follow 
ing  is  presented  in  part  as  it  appeared  in  the  Boston  Transcript, 
famous  for  its  fairness  and  honest  presentation  of  reports: 

NEGRO  PRESIDENTS  SUPERB  ADDRESS. 

"  The  core  and  kernel  of  yesterday's  great  noon  meeting 
in  honor  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Man,  in  Music  Hall,  was  the 
superb  address  of  the  Negro  President  of  Tuskegee.  '  Booker 
T.  Washington  received  his  Harvard  A.  M.,  last  June,  the  first 
of  his  race/  said  Governor  Wolcott, '  to  receive  an  honorary  de 
gree  from  the  oldest  university  in  the  land,  and  this  for  the  wise 
leadership  of  his  people/  When  Mr.  Washington  rose  in  the 
flag-filled,  enthusiasm-warmed,  patriotic,  and  glowing  atmos 
phere  of  Music  Hall,  people  felt  keenly  that  here  was  the  civic 
justification  of  the  old  abolition  spirit  of  Massachusetts ;  in  his 
person  the  proof  of  her  ancient  and  indomitable  faith;  in  his 
strong  thought  and  rich  oratory,  the  crown  and  glory  of  the  old 
war  days  of  suffering  and  strife.  The  scene  was  full  of  historic 
beauty  and  deep  significance.  '  Cold '  Boston  was  alive  with 
the  fire  that  is  always  hot  in  her  heart  for  righteousness  and 
truth.  Rows  and  rows  of  people  who  are  seldom  seen  at  any 
public  function,  whole  families  of  those  who  are  certain  to  be 
out  of  town  on  a  holiday,  crowded  the  place  to  overflowing, 
The  city  was  at  her  birthright  fete  in  the  persons  of  hundreds 
of  her  best  citizens,  men  and  women  whose  names  and  lives 
stand  for  the  virtues  that  make  for  honorable  civic  pride. 


100         IN  THE  FULL  LIGHT  OF  PUBLICITY. 

"  Battle  music  had  filled  the  air.  Ovation  after  ovation, 
applause  warm  and  prolonged,  had  greeted  the  officers  and 
friends  of  Colonel  Shaw,  the  sculptor,  St.  Gaudens,  the  mem 
orial  Committee,  the  Governor  and  his  staff,  and  the  Negro 
soldiers  of  the  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  as  they  came  upon 
the  platform  or  entered  the  hall.  Colonel  Henry  Lee,  of  Gov 
ernor  Andrew's  old  staff,  had  made  a  noble,  simple  presenta 
tion  speech  for  the  committee,  paying  tribute  to  Mr.  John  M. 
Forbes,  in  whose  stead  he  served.  Governor  Wolcott  had  made 
his  short,  memorable  speech,  saying,  '  Fort  Wagner  marked  an 
epoch  in  the  history  of  a  race,  and  called  it  into  manhood/ 
Mayor  Quincy  had  received  the  monument  for  the  city  of 
Boston.  The  story  of  Colonel  Shaw  and  his  black  regiment 
had  been  told  in  gallant  words,  and  then,  after  the  singing  of 

Mine  eyes  have  seen  the  glory 
Of  the  coming  of  the  Lord, 

Booker  Washington  arose.  It  was,  of  course,  just  the  moment 
for  him.  The  multitude,  shaken  out  of  its  usual  symphony- 
concert  calm,  quivered  with  an  excitement  that  was  not  sup 
pressed.  A  dozen  times  it  had  sprung  to  its  feet  to  cheer  and 
wave  and  hurrah,  as  one  person.  When  this  man  of  culture 
and  voice  and  power,  as  well  as  a  dark  skin,  began,  and 
uttered  the  names  of  Stearns  and  of  Andrew,  feeling  began  to 
mount.  You  could  see  tears  glisten  in  the  eyes  of  soldiers  and 
civilians.  When  the  orator  turned  to  the  colored  soldiers  on 
the  platform,  to  the  color-bearer  of  Fort  Wagner,  who  smilingly 
bore  still  the  flag  he  had  never  lowered  even  when  wounded, 
and  said,  *  To  you,  to  the  scarred  and  scattered  remnants  of 
the  Fifty- fourth,  who,  with  empty  sleeve  and  wanting  leg,  have 
honored  this  occasion  with  your  presence,  to  you,  your  com- 


IN  THE  FULL  LIGHT  OF  PUBLICITY.         101 

mander  is  not  dead.  Though  Boston  erected  no  monument  and 
history  recorded  no  story,  in  you  and  in  the  loyal  race  which 
you  represent,  Robert  Gould  Shaw  would  have  a  monument 
which  time  could  not  wear  away/  there  came  the  climax  of 
the  emotion  of  the  day  and  the  hour.  It  was  Roger  Wolcott, 
as  well  as  the  Governor  of  Massachusetts,  the  individual  rep 
resentative  of  the  people's  sympathy  as  well  as  the  chief  magis 
trate,  who  had  sprung  to  his  feet  and  cried,  *  Three  cheers  to 
Booker  T.  Washington!'  " 

RISES  IN  PUBLIC  ESTIMATION. 

Similar  comments  were  made  in  other  publications  over 
the  broad  face  of  the  land,  and  Dr.  Washington  seemed  to  con 
tinue  to  rise  in  the  public  estimation.  It  must  be  said  of  him, 
however,  that  with  all  the  attention  that  was  given  to  him  he 
retained  his  dignity  and  balance,  and  never  for  a  moment  for 
got  the  real  purpose  of  his  efforts. 

Probably  the  single  address  which  attracted  greatest  at 
tention,  next  to  that  made  at  Atlanta,  was  one  delivered  in  con 
nection  with  the  Chicago  Jubilee,  which  was  held  to  mark  the 
close  of  the  Spanish-American  War  and  the  restoration  of 
peace.  The  invitation  to  Dr.  Washington  was  tendered  by 
President  William  R.  Harper,  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  as 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  invitations.  The  address  was 
delivered  in  the  Chicago  Auditorium  on  the  evening  of  October 
1 6,  in  the  presence  of  an  audience  of  more  than  15,000.  Many 
prominent  personages  were  present,  the  event  being  marked  by 
the  attendance  of  President  William  McKinley,  the  members 
of  his  Cabinet,  foreign  ministers  and  many  Army  and  Navy 
officers  who  had  distinguished  themselves  during  the  war. 

The  occasion  was  propitious  for  Dr.  Washington,  for 
the  colored  soldiers  had  rendered  conspicuous  service  to  their 


102         IN  THE  FULL  LIGHT  OF  PUBLICITY. 

country,  and  he  proved  his  ability  to  take  advantage  of  the  op 
portunity  offered  him  as  was  evidenced  by  the  widespread  re 
ports  circulated  about  his  address,  which  was  in  the  main 
as  follows: 

"  On  an  important  occasion  in  the  life  of  the  Master,  when 
it  fell  to  Him  to  pronounce  judgment  on  two  courses  of  action, 
these  memorable  words  fell  from  his  lips:  'And  Mary  hath 
chosen  the  better  part/  This  was  the  supreme  test  in  the  case 
of  an  individual.  It  is  the  highest  test  in  the  case  of  a  race 
or  nation.  Let  us  apply  the  test  to  the  American  negro. 

CHOOSES  THE  BETTER  PART, 

"  In  the  life  of  our  Republic,  when  he  has  had  the  oppor 
tunity  to  choose,  has  it  been  the  better  or  the  worse  part  ?  When 
in  the  childhood  of  this  nation,  the  negro  was  asked  to  submit 
to  slavery  or  choose  death  and  extinction,  as  did  the  abori 
gines,  he  chose  the  better  part,  that  which  perpetuated  the  race. 

"When  in  1776  the  Negro  was  asked  to  decide  between 
British  oppression  and  American  independence,  we  find  him 
choosing  the  better  part,  and  Crispus  Attackus,  a  Negro,  was 
the  first  to  shed  his  blood  on  State  Street,  Boston,  that  the  white 
American  might  enjoy  liberty  forever,  though  his  race  remained 
in  slavery. 

"  When  in  1814,  at  New  Orleans,  the  test  of  patriotism 
came  again,  we  find  the  Negro  choosing  the  better  part,  and 
General  Andrew  Jackson  himself  testifying  that  no  heart  was 
more  loyal  and  no  arm  more  strong  and  useful  in  defense  of 
righteousness. 

'  When  the  long  and  memorable  struggle  came  between 
Union  and  separation,  when  we  knew  that  victory  on  one  hand 
meant  freedom,  and  defeat  on  the  other  his  continued  enslave 
ment,  witH  a  full  knowledge  of  the  portentous  meaning  of  it 


IN  THE  FULL  LIGHT  OF  PUBLICITY.         103 

all,  when  the  suggestion  and  temptation  came  to  burn  the  home 
and  massacre  wife  and  children  during  the  absence  of  the 
master  in  battle,  and  thus  insure  his  liberty,  we  find  him  choos 
ing  the  better  part,  and  for  four  long  years  protecting  and  sup 
porting  the  helpless,  defenseless  ones  entrusted  to  his  care. 

NEGRO   COMES  TO   THE  RESCUE. 

"  When  in  1863,  the  cause  of  the  union  seemed  to  quiver 
in  the  balance,  and  there  were  doubt  and  distrust,  the  Negro 
was  asked  to  come  to  the  rescue  in  arms,  and  the  valor  dis 
played  at  Fort  Wagner  and  Port  Hudson  and  Fort  Pillow  tes 
tifies  most  eloquently  again  that  the  Negro  chose  the  better  part. 

"  When  a  few  months  ago  the  safety  and  honor  of  the 
Republic  were  theatened  by  foreign  foe,  and  when  the  wail  and 
anguish  of  the  oppressed  from  a  distant  isle  reached  his  ears, 
we  find  the  Negro  forgetting  his  own  wrongs,  forgetting  the 
laws  and  customs  that  discriminate  against  him  in  his  own 
country,  again  choosing  the  better  part — the  part  of  honor  and 
humanity.  And  if  you  would  know  how  he  deported  himself 
in  the  field  at  Santiago,  apply  for  the  answer  to  Shafter  and 
Roosevelt  and  Wheeler.  Let  them  tell  how  the  Negro  faced 
death  and  laid  down  his  life  in  defense  of  honor  and  humanity, 
and  when  you  have  gotten  the  full  story  of  the  heroic  conduct 
of  the  Negro  in  the  Spanish- American  War — heard  it  from  the 
lips  of  Northern  soldiers,  ex-abolitionists  and  ex-masters — 
then  decide  for  yourselves  whether  a  race  thus  willing  to  die 
for  its  country  should  not  be  given  the  highest  opportunity  to 
live  for  its  country. 

:s  In  the  midst  of  all  the  complaints  of  suffering  in  the  camp 
and  field,  suffering  from  fever  and  hunger,  where  is  the  official 
or  civilian  that  has  heard  a  word  of  complaint  from  the  lips  of  a 
black  soldier  ?  Tfie  only  request  tEaf  Has  come  rf  rom  the  Negro 


104         IN  THE  FULL  LIGHT  OF  PUBLICITY. 

soldier  has  been  that  he  might  be  permitted  to  replace  the  white 
soldier  when  heat  and  malaria  began  to  decimate  the  ranks  of 
the  white  regiment,  and  to  occupy  at  the  same  time  the  post 
of  greatest  danger. 

BLOTTING  OUT  OF   RACIAL  PREJUDICES. 

"  This  country  has  been  most  fortunate  in  her  victories. 
She  has  twice  measured  arms  with  England  and  has  won.  She 
has  met  the  spirit  of  rebellion  within  her  borders  and  was  vic 
torious.  She  has  met  the  proud  Spaniard,  and  he  lays  pros 
trate  at  her  feet.  All  this  is  well,  it  is  magnificent.  But  there 
remains  one  other  victory^  for  Americans  to  win — a  victory 
as  far-reaching  and  important  as  any  that  has  occupied  our  army 
and  navy.  We  have  succeeded  in  every  conflict,  except  the 
effort  to  conquer  ourselves  in  the  blotting  out  of  racial  preju 
dices.  We  can  celebrate  the  era  of  peace  in  no  more  effectual 
way  than  by  a  firm  resolve  on  the  part  of  Northern  men  and 
Southern  men,  black  men  and  white  men,  that  the  trenches  that 
we  together  dug  around  Santiago  shall  be  the  eternal  burial 
place  of  all  that  which  separates  us  in  our  business  and  civil 
relations.  Let  us  be  as  generous  in  peace  as  we  have  been  brave 
in  battle.  Until  we  thus  conquer  ourselves,  I  make  no  empty 
statement  when  I  say  that  we  shall  have  a  cancer  gnawing  at 
the  heart  of  the  republic  that  shall  one  day  prove  as  dangerous 
as  an  attack  from  an  army  without  or  within. 

"  In  this  presence  and  on  this  auspicious  occasion,  I  want 
to  present  the  deep  gratitude  of  nearly  ten  millions  of  my 
people  to  our  wise,  patient  and  brave  Chief  Executive  for  the 
generous  manner  in  which  my  race  has  been  recognized  during 
this  conflict — a  recognition  that  has  done  more  to  blot  out  sec 
tional  and  racial  lines  than  any  event  since  the  dawn  of  our 
freedom 


IN  THE  FULL  LIGHT  OF  PUBLICITY.         105 

"  I  know  how  vain  and  impotent  is  all  abstract  talk  on  this 
subject.  In  your  efforts  to  'rise  on  stepping  stones  of  your  dead 
selves/  we  of  the  black  race  shall  not  leave  you  unaided.  We 
shall  make  the  task  easier  for  you  by  acquiring  property,  habits 
of  thrift,  economy,  intelligence  and  character,  by  each  making 
himself  of  individual  worth  in  his  own  community.  We  shall 
aid  you  in  this  as  we  did  a  few  days  ago  at  El  Caney  and  San 
tiago,  when  we  helped  you  to  hasten  the  peace  we  here  celebrate. 
You  know  us ;  you  are  not  afraid  of  us.  When  the  crucial  test 
comes,  you  are  not  ashamed  of  us.  We  have  never  betrayed  or 
deceived  you.  You  know  that  as  it  has  been,  so  it  will  be. 
Whether  in  war  or  in  peace,  whether  in  slavery  or  in  freedom, 
we  have  always  been  loyal  to  the  Stars  and  Stripes." 

The  text  of  this  message  from  the  recognized  leader  of  the 
colored  race  to  the  white  men  of  the  country  was  printed  in 
nearly  all  of  the  prominent  newspapers  of  the  country  and  pro 
vided  food  for  discussion  for  thousands  of  lips. 

ACCEPTS  DR.  WASHINGTON'S  INVITATION. 

It  was  not  long  after  this  that  President  McKinley,  in 
cidental  to  a  visit  to  the  Atlanta,  Ga.,  Peace  Jubilee,  accepted 
the  invitation  of  Dr.  Washington  to  be  one  of  a  party  to  inspect 
Tuskegee  Institute.  The  occasion  was  one  that  will  not  be  for 
gotten  by  Tuskegee,  the  institution,  or  Tuskegee,  the  town. 

President  McKinley  had  accepted  the  invitation  in  the  spirit 
that  it  would  prove  of  great  effect  in  setting  aside  race  preju 
dice  and  bringing  about  a  better  feeling  in  the  South.  This  was 
Dr.  Washington's  thought  and  it  again  showed  his  breadth  of 
understanding  and  perspicuity.  Not  only  did  President  and 
Mrs.  McKinley,  with  the  members  of  the  President's  Cabinet, 
their  families,  military  aides  and  Army  and  Naval  officers, 
honor  Tuskegee  with  their  resence,  But  Governor  Joseph  F. 


106 

Johnson,  of  Alabama,  with  his  staff  and  the  entire  Alabama 
Legislature,  which  adjourned  in  a  body  for  the  purpose,  at 
tended. 

Buildings  were  decorated  and  the  little  community  nearly 
two  hundred  miles  out  of  the  President's  regular  route  to  the 
Atlanta  Peace  celebration  was  the  scene  of  a  spectacular  gath 
ering  such  as  had  never  been  witnessed  in  the  Black  Belt  of 
Alabama.  President  McKinley  on  that  occasion  expressed  his 
gratification  at  what  he  saw  at  Tuskegee,  and  the  progress  that 
was  being  made  by  the  colored  people  under  the  direction  of  Dr. 
Washington  and  his  assistants,  and  in  the  course  of  his  address, 
which  was  reported  by  the  newspapers  of  the  country,  paid  this 
tribute  to  Dr.  Washington : 

SPECIAL  TRIBUTE  TO  DR.  WASHINGTON. 

"  To  speak  of  Tuskegee  without  paying  special  tribute  to 
Booker  T.  Washington's  genius  and  perseverance  would  be  im 
possible.  The  inception  of  this  noble  enterprise  was  his,  and 
he  deserves  high  credit  for  it.  His  was  the  enthusiasm  and 
enterprise  which  made  its  steady  progress  possible  and  estab 
lished  in  the  institution  its  present  high  standard  of  accomplish 
ment.  He  has  won  a  worthy  reputation  as  one  of  the  great 
leaders  of  his  race,  widely  known  and  much  respected  at  home 
and  abroad  as  an  accomplished  educator,  a  great  orator  and  a 
true  philanthropist." 

One  other  utterance  on  this  occasion,  which  reflected  the 
high  esteem  in  which  Dr.  Washington  was  held  and  made  appa 
rent  the  effect  produced  by  the  visit  of  the  Chief  Executive 
of  the  Country  to  Tuskegee,  was  that  of  Secretary  Long,  of 
trie  Naval  Department,  who,  in  expressing  confidence  in  the 
progress  which  the  colored  race  would  make,  and  the  problems 
whicfi  would  lie  solved,  said: 


IN  THE  FULL  LIGHT  OF  PUBLICITY.  107 

"  The  problem,  I  say,  has  been  solved.  A  picture  has 
been  presented  to-day  which  should  be  put  upon  canvas  with 
the  pictures  of  Washington  and  Lincoln,  and  transmitted  to 
future  time  and  generations ;  a  picture  which  the  press  of  the 
country  should  spread  broadcast  over  the  land,  a  most  dramatic 
picture,  and  that  picture  is  this:  The  President  of  the  United 
States  standing  on  this  platform ;  on  one  side,  the  Governor  of 
Alabama,  on  the  other,  completing  the  trinity,  a  representative  of 
a  race  only  a  few  years  ago  in  bondage,  the  colored  president 
of  the  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute. 

"  God  bless  the  President  under  whose  majesty  such  a  scene 
as  that  is  presented  to  the  American  people.  God  bless  the  State 
of  Alabama  which  is  showing  that  it  can  deal  with  this  problem 
for  itself.  God  bless  the  orator,  philanthropist  and  disciple 
of  the  Great  Master — who  if  he  were  on  earth  would  be  doing 
the  same  work — Booker  T.  Washington." 

Could  any  man  aslc  a  greater  tribute? 


CHAPTER  VI. 
THE  GOSPEL  OF  SERVICE  THAT  WON. 

IN  the  analysis  of  that  great  work  which  Booker  T.  Washing 
ton  left  as  a  legacy  to  the  members  of  his  race  and  to  civil 
ization,  it  is  impossible  to  view  the  results  of  his  labors 
without  reaching  the  conclusion  that  his  greatest  gift  to  human 
ity  was  not  that  which  is  represented  by  the  material  things  at 
Tuskegee — the  fine  buildings  and  the  beautiful  plot  of  land  on 
which  stands  the  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute. 

These  things  stand  as  a  monument  to  perpetuate  his  mem 
ory,  material  evidences  of  his  constructive  ability,  and  in  the 
ways  of  men  they  are  accepted  as  proof  of  his  success.  But 
other  men  have  builded  large  institutions — huge  buildings  in 
the  world  of  science,  art  and  industry,  where  armies  of  their 
fellow-beings — greater  than  those  armies  of  Tuskegee — are 
hived.  ,Yet  have  such  builders  not  stood  before  their  fellow 
men  as  honored  as  was  Booker  T.  Washington. 

What  was  it  then  that  Booker  T.  Washington  gave  to  men 
that  marked  him  greater  than  any  other  man  of  his  race?  What 
was  it  that  drew  men  toward  him  and  inspired  them  to  acclaim 
him  before  the  world  ? 

The  great  thing  which  Booker  T.  Washington  gave  to  the 
world  was  "  Service." 

In  every  line  of  endeavor  the  world  is  coming  to  recognize 
the  fundamental  value  of  service.  The  minister  discourses  on 
"The  Brotherhood  of  Man/'  which  cannot  maintain  without 
service  and  "  The  Golden  Rule  "  contemplates  service.  In  his 
boyhood  days  Booker  T.  Washington  learned  the  value  of 

108 


THE  GOSPEL  OF  SERVICE  THAT.  WON.       109 

"  service."     That  was  his  religion  and  he  gave  "  service  "  to 
the  world  and  taught  it  to  his  students. 

His  life  should  serve  as  an  example  for  every  young  man 
and  young  woman  who  hopes  to  succeed.  His  entire  judg 
ment  as  to  the  value  of  education  was  based  on  a  very  speci 
fic  view  of  such  service  as  education  might  enable  the  possessor 
to  render.  To  this  extent  he  was  at  times  criticised  for  being 
too  commercial,  or  material,  and  taken  to  task  for  giving  too 
much  attention  to  industrial  training  or  education. 

SERVICE  TEST  OF  WORTH. 

Culture,  refinement,  literary  qualification  and  book  learn 
ing  did  not  complete  a  man's  education  within  the  scope  of  his 
meaning.  Nor  is  the  person  who  can  read,  write  and  speak  a 
dozen  languages,  and  knows  art,  literature  and  science,  but  who 
is  unable  to  support  himself,  educated  in  the  modern  acceptance 
of  the  word.  Such  a  person  may  get  much  individual  enjoy 
ment  out  of  his  knowledge,  but  he  does  not  give  much  to  the 
world — and  that  is  the  test  of  his  worth.  If  he  gave  more  he 
would  receive  more.  He  has  not  been  trained  to  use  his  capa 
bilities,  to  captalize  his  powers,  because  he  has  never  learned  the 
value  of  service. 

The  best  gauge  of  education  is  the  ability  to  use  it.  Per 
haps  there  may  be  some  who  do  not  reap  a  just  reward  for  their 
efforts  but  in  the  broadest  sense,  when  the  day  for  summing  up 
arrives,  it  will  be  found  that  men  are  rewarded  just  about  in 
proportion  to  the  value  of  the  service  they  render  to  humanity. 

Booker  T.  Washington  rendered  service  to  the  members 
of  his  own  family,  his  race  and  his  country  from  his  earliest 
days.  He  began  as  a  slave  boy;  he  rendered  an  honest  day's 
work  in  the  salt  furnace  and  the  coal  mines  at  Maiden,  West 
Virginia ;  he  rendered  service  to  Mrs.  Ruffner— service  of  the 


110       THE  GOSPEL  OF  SERVICE  THAT  WON. 

sort  that  enabled  him  to  win  the  friendship  of  a  woman  who 
other  boys  had  declared  was  "  too  particular '  to  work  for ; 
service  to  Hampton  Institute  when  his  efforts  in  cleaning  out 
the  recitation  room  were  so  effective  that  they  gained  him  ad 
mission  to  the  school  and  got  him  a  job  besides ;  service  to  the 
city  of  Charleston,  West  Virginia,  when  he  stumped  the  State 
to  win  votes  to  get  the  capital  of  the  State  located  in  that  city ; 
service  to  his  brother  and  his  half-brother  when  he  assisted 
them  in  their  efforts  to  attend  Hampton  Institute ;  service  to  his 
fellow  students  when  he  aroused  their  interest  in  public  speaking 
by  organizing  debating  clubs;  and  service  to  himself  when  he 
recognized  the  fact  that  he  was  his  own  master  and  did  the 
best  work  he  could  for  himself,  as  he  would  have  done  for  some 
other  master. 

DID  NOT  WORK  FOR  PERSONAL  GAIN. 

Service !  service !  service !  That  is  what  made  Booker  T. 
Washington  great.  He  accepted  a  position  as  the  head  of  a 
school  when  there  was  no  school,  not  because  he  wanted  to  earn 
the  small  salary  which  the  position  offered,  but  because  he 
wanted  to  render  service  to  his  people  by  providing  them  with 
educational  opportuntiies — a  chance  to  improve  themselves 
so  that  they  could  render  greater  service  to  their  families  and 
their  country.  He  pleaded  for  an  appropriation  for  the  Atlanta 
Exposition,  not  because  he  expected  to  realize  any  personal  gain 
if  he  influenced  Congress  to  make  an  appropriation,  but  because 
he  desired  to  render  service  to  his  people  in  the  South  by  provid 
ing  them  with  an  opportunity  to  show  the  result  of  their  efforts 
to  progress.  He  addressed  public  meetings  the  wide  world 
over,  not  for  personal  gain  but  that  he  might  arouse  interest 
in  the  cause  of  the  colored  race  and  secure  money  with  which  to 
provide  training  facilities  for  them. 


THE  GOSPEL  OF  SERVICE  THAT  WON.       Ill 

From  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  his  career  his  life  was  one 
of  service.  When  he  established  a  brick  yard  at  Tuskegee,  it 
was  because  he  saw  in  such  a  move  a  possibility  of  rendering 
service — service  to  the  students  who  would  thus  be  enabled  to 
enter  a  new  field  of  industry,  and  who  would  also  find  additional 
opportunity  to  increase  their  earnings;  service  to  the  school 
which  would  be  provided  with  building  material,  and  service 
to  the  community  at  large,  which  had  no  brick  making  industry 
within  its  confines. 

WORD  "  SERVICE  "  MISUNDERSTOOD. 

The  one  impelling  motive  of  his  life  was  service.  The 
great  buildings  which  he  caused  to  be  erected  were  incidental 
to  service  rendered.  And  if  there  were  no  other  evidence  of 
this  it  might  be  found  in  the  daily  sermons  or  lessons  which  he 
delivered  to  the  students  of  Tuskegee  Institute.  One  of  his 
own  lectures  had  for  its  title  "  The  Gospel  of  Service."  In  this 
Dr.  Washington  pointed  to  the  fact  that  too  often  the  word 
'  service  "  has  been  misunderstood,  and  has  carried  with  it  for 
some  minds  a  meaning  of  degradation.  He  also  reminded  his 
students  of  the  fact  that  Christ  said :  "  He  who  would  become 
the  greatest  of  all  must  become  the  servant  of  all." 

A  brief  description  has  already  been  given  oT  the  material 
things  at  Tuskegee  which  grew  out  of  Dr.  Washington's  life 
of  service,  but  he  builded  out  of  himself — through  his  person 
ality — a  spirit  which  permeates  the  brick  and  wood  and  stone 
structures.  He  created  an  atmosphere  in  which  upward  of 
10,000  negroes  have  grown  to  better  citizenship  and  have  gone 
out  into  the  world  to  teach  the  Tuskegee  gospel  of  service,  or 
practice  it  in  their  own  particular  spheres. 

And  the  fields  into  which  these  disciples  have  gone  to  spread 
their  doctrine!  Church  workers,  missionaries,  Bible  teachers, 


112       THE  GOSPEL  OF  SERVICE  THAT  WON. 

ministers,  farmers,  chemists,  horticulturists,  florists,  dairymen, 
stock  breeders,  brickmakers,  shoemakers,  wagonmakers,  car 
riage  builders,  tailors,  masons,  cooks,  dieticians,  nurses,  ac 
countants,  lawyers,  plumbers,  gas  fitters,  school  teachers. 

But  no  matter  what  their  status,  whence  they  came,  or  in 
what  particular  field  of  endeavor  it  was  their  purpose  to  labor, 
students  at  Tuskegee  from  the  first  were,  and  still  are,  compelled 
to  undergo  a  measure  of  industrial  training.  This  because  Dr. 
Washington  believed  that  the  members  of  his  race,  particularly 
needed  to  learn  that  there  is  honor  and  dignity  in  work,  and  that 
no  matter  how  rapid  their  advance  in  other  directions  they  could 
better  serve  if  their  characters  were  tempered  by  contact  with 
actual  problems  in  the  field  of  industry. 

INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING. 

In  discussing  industrial  training  he  frequently  justified 
his  position  in  insisting  that  there  be  no  exceptions  to  this  rule 
in  his  institution,  by  citing  how  the  failure  of  a  student  to  do 
some  piece  of  work  properly  served  to  illustrate  some  needed 
lesson  and  make  an  impression  that  the  lecturing  of  days  might 
not  produce. 

He  many  times  showed  this,  as  for  instance  when  students 
receiving  credits  on  their  board  or  tuition  for  work  done, 
failed  to  complete  a  task,  he  told  them  that  they  were  guilty 
of  dishonesty;  that  they  were  defrauding  the  school  because 
they  were  getting  credit  for  having  performed  a  "  service  '' 
they  did  not  render.  To  have  told  a  student  who  failed  to  pre 
pare  his  lesson  in  a  school  of  the  usual  type  that  he  was  dis 
honest  on  this  account  would  have  been  without  reason.  The 
student  only  injured  himself.  But  at  Tuskegee  there  was,  and 
is,  an  economic  side.  The  student  is  actually  an  economic  fac- 


THE  GOSPEL  OF  SERVICE  THAT  WON.       113 

tor — is  expected  to  produce  in  return  for  tuition  or  board — and 
the  argument  becomes  effective. 

The  criticisms  which  at  times  were  directed  at  Dr.  Wash 
ington  were  mainly  due  to  the  failure  of  his  critics  to  have  a 
thorough  understanding  of  the  motives  which  lie  behind  his 
methods;  the  failure  to  possess  the  same  viewpoint  by  reason 
of  the  lack  of  knowledge  of  conditions  which  the  great  educa 
tor  possessed.  He  was  not  servile  and  had  no  inclination  to 
make  any  member  of  his  race  servile.  He  was  not  opposed  to 
"  book  learning,"  or  "  higher  education  "  for  the  colored  man. 
But  he  said  that  the  solution  of  the  problem  of  his  race  depended 
upon  so  preparing  the  colored  man  that  he  could  work  out  his 
own  destiny.  * 

FIRST  STEP  NECESSARY  FOR  THE  NEGRO. 

He  believed  that  the  first  step  necessary  was  to  so  equip 
the  negro  that  he  could  maintain  himself — earn  a  living,  and 
thereby  become  self-respecting,  while  winning  the  respect  of 
others.  He  was  primarily  an  opportunist,  who  believed  in  mak 
ing  the  best  of  the  situation  as  it  presented  itself,  and  there 
fore  advocated  training  his  people  to  do  things  which  were  round 
about  them.  And  in  the  field  of  his  chosen  labor  he  found  that 
the  need  was  for  tillers  of  the  soil  and  industrial  workers — farm 
ers  and  mechanics. 

He  recognized,  too,  that  the  white  man  had  become  politi 
cally  independent  only  as  he  became  economically  so,  and  he  pro 
ceeded  to  impress  upon  the  members  of  his  race  the  importance 
of  becoming  land  and  property  owners,  through  the  possession 
of  which  they  would  become  independent.  Not  only  did  he 
preach  this  in  his  school,  but  he  carried  this  gospel  of  property 
ownership  into  the  country  round  about  and  talked  it  wherever 
opportunity  came  to  do  so. 

8-W 


114       THE  GOSPEL  OF  SERVICE  THAT  WON. 

His  "  service  "  did  not,  therefore,  end  with  his  efforts  in 
the  classroom  and  in  talking  for  the  benefit  of  the  institution 
which  he  builded.  It  spread  out  over  the  entire  country  from 
Tuskegee.  One  of  the  means  by  which  his  teachings  came  to 
be  widely  disseminated  was  through  Negro  Conferences  held 
at  Tuskegee,  for  the  benefit  of  the  farmers,  mechanics,  teachers, 
ministers  and  all  who  could  in  any  way  be  utilized  to  arouse  in 
terest  in  the  progress  of  the  race  and  the  delevopment  of  the 
South. 

FOR  IMPROVEMENT  OF  THE  NEGRO. 

The  first  of  these  conferences,  in  1892,  was  held  as  the  re 
sult  of  an  invitation  sent  out  to  something  less  than  a  hundred 
farmers  and  others  asking  them  to  assemble  at  the  Institute. 
These  people  were  told  that  it  was  the  intention  to  discuss  some 
of  the  problems  which  confronted  them  and  discover  if  possible 
the  best  means  of  remedying  them.  Several  hundred  persons, 
representatives  of  the  masses  of  colored  people  in  the  Black 
Belt,  responded  to  the  invitation,  and  what  has  grown  to  be  rec 
ognized  as  one  of  the  most  important  agencies  for  the  improve 
ment  of  the  negro  in  the  South  was  started. 

Besides  the  representatives  of  the  race  referred  to,  there 
were  also  present  a  large  number  of  educational  workers  from 
various  sections  of  the  South,  as  well  as  representatives  of 
prominent  publications  interested  in  progressive  and  industrial 
movements.  The  gathering  resolved  itself  into  what  might 
be  termed  an  "  experience  meeting,"  in  which  those  present 
gave  their  views  and  told  of  their  own  struggles,  failures  and 
progress. 

Dr.  Washington's  astuteness  in  going  to  the  bottom  of 
things,  of  finding  out  first  hand  about  real  conditions  and  then 
setting  about  to  provide  remedial  measures  is  made  manifest 


THE  GOSPEL  OF  SERVICE  THAT  WON.       115 

by  his  comments  regarding  the  conferences.  He  said  that  he 
soon  found  that  it  meant  much  more  to  have  one  man  who  suc 
ceeded  tell  how  he  succeeded  than  in  having  some  one  from  out 
side  lecture  on  what  ought  to  be  done. 

Beginning  with  that  conference,  Dr.  Washington,  through 
some  of  his  representatives,  organized  similar  conferences  in 
other  sections.  These  have  grown  in  number  and  have  come 
to  be  very  important  gatherings  from  many  standpoints.  Spe 
cific  information  as  to  the  ownership  of  land,  mortgages,  the 
kind  of  crops  raised,  the  value  of  the  product,  morals  and  general 
living  conditions  was  obtained  from  the  beginning  and  construc 
tive  help  given. 

COLORED  MEN  BECOME  LAND  OWNERS. 

Here  again  is  shown  the  result  of  "  service  "rendered  by 
Dr.  Washington  and  his  co-workers,  for  through  these  confer 
ences  and  others  whish  are  now  held  throughout  the  South,  hun 
dreds  of  colored  men  have  improved  their  condition,  become 
land  owners,  built  new  and  larger  homes,  provided  better  envi 
ronments  for  their  families  and  won  the  respect  of  their  white 
neighbors,  besides  bettering  the  general  conditions  and  increas 
ing  values. 

There  is  an  old  axiom,  "Actions  Speak  Louder  than 
Words/'  which  might  well  be  pharaphrased  in  describing  one 
of  Booker  T.  Washington's  policies.  The  axiom  should  read 
"  Action  Is  more  Effective  than  Words."  All  the  talking  in 
the  world  will  not  build  a  house;  all  the  education  which  can 
be  crammed  into  the  brain  is  of  no  value  if  the  person  who  se 
cures  the  knowledge  cannot  be  induced  to  act.  And  in  teaching 
his  students  to  work,  Dr.  Washington  taught  them  to  act ;  but 
he  also  taught  them  to  act  intelligently. 

For  those  who  may  not  be  familiar  with  conditions  as  they 


116       THE  GOSPEL  OF  SERVICE  THAT  WON. 

exist  in  many  of  the  farming  districts  of  the  South,  it  may  be 
said  that  the  negro  cotton  grower,  and  the  white  one  as  well, 
has  largely  been  the  victim  of  a  system  of  crop  mortgaging 
which  affects  him  as  the  vicious  "  company  store  order  system," 
for  many  years  used  in  the  mining  and  industrial  centres  of  the 
country,  affected  the  daily  wage  earner  irrespective  of  color  or 
nationality. 

THE  MONEY  LENDER  USUALLY  GETS  THE  FARM. 

Under  this  plan  the  farmer  binds  himself  and  the  members 
of  his  family  to  produce  a  crop  of  cotton  which  is  practically 
assigned  to  cover  the  obligation,  to  the  merchant,  cotton-com 
missioner  or  money  lender  who  will  advance  him  money  or 
give  him  credit  for  the  supplies  he  and  his  family  will  need 
while  growing  the  cotton.  It  is,  of  course,  necessary  that  the 
farmer  have  means  of  securing  food  and  clothing  for  himself 
and  family  during  the  growing  period,  but  the  whole  system  is 
a  gamble.  The  money  lender  bets  the  farmer  "  his  keep  "  for 
the  growing  period  that  he  cannot  raise  more  than  enough  cot 
ton  to  pay  off  his  indebtedness ;  and  usually  the  farmer  cannot. 
But  it  is  a  gamble  of  "  heads  I  win,  tails  you  lose  "  type — the 
crop  mortgage  man,  or  money  lender,  gets  the  farm  equipment 
or  the  farm  itself,  if  the  farmer  owns  it,  in  the  event  of  crop 
failure.  Frequently  after  the  crop  has  been  gathered  and 
marketed,  the  farmer  finds  he  was  just  where  he  was  at  the  be 
ginning.  He  has  to  mortgage — gamble  on  the  production  of  a 
crop  for  the  next  year.  He  plays  a  losing  game  almost  con 
tinuously. 

The  viciousness  of  such  a  system  is  manifest  when  it  is 
realized  that  the  farmer  in  many  cases  has  no  choice  as  to  where 
he  can  make  his  purchases.  He  is  bound,  fettered,  shorn  of  an 
economic  independence.  He  must  pay  the  price  asked  by  the 


THE  GOSPEL  OF  SERVICE  THAT  WON.       117 

man  who  controls  him  with  a  binding  contract.  So  in  the  man 
ufacturing  or  industrial  centres  there  have  been  thousands 
of  cases  where  families  under  the  company  store  order  system 
never  had  a  dollar  of  cash  to  spend.  If  the  little  grocer  across 
the  street  sold  butter  at  thirty  cents  a  pound  and  the  company 
store  charged  thirty-five  or  forty,  the  wage  earner  must  pay 
the  higher  price.  Neither  he  nor  his  family  had  cash  with 
which  to  go  to  the  little  store  and  buy  at  the  lesser  price. 

Just  as  such  a  system  has  been  frowned  upon  by  those  who 
are  working  for  the  economic  independence  of  the  laborer — the 
factory  and  industrial  workers  of  the  country — and  has  been 
practically  driven  out  of  existence,  so  Booker  T.  Washington 
protested  against  the  crop  mortgaging  on  the  part  of  the  farm 
ers  of  his  race  and  preached  thrift  and  economy  that  they  might 
out  of  their  efforts  save  enough  to  buy  their  own  farms  and 
ultimately  be  freed  from  a  system  of  serfdom  almost  as  demor 
alizing  as  that  system  from  which  they  had  been  freed  by  proc 
lamation  and  the  shedding  of  human  blood. 

And  the  people  themselves  are  thankful  for  the  lessons 
which  the  great  educator  has  taught.  Said  Butler  Hawkins,  an 
aged  colored  farmer,  at  one  of  the  Negro  Conferences : 

"  Dr.  Washington,  I  wants  to  thank  you  all  fo'  what  you 
has  dun  fo'  me.  I'se  wukked  fo'  twenty  year.  Befo'  I  cum  to 
dese  meetins'  'bout  all  I  got  wuz  wuk.  That  wuz  nine  year 
back.  Now  I  got  seventy-five  acre  o'  land,  five  haid  o'mule  and 
two  cow,  an'  dey's  all  paid  fo'.  I  cain't  say  ezactly  'bout  it,  but 
seems  to  me  I  wukked  nigh  as  hard  befo',  but  you  showed  us 
how  to  git  de  benefit  from  de  wuk  and  I'se  might  glad  I  cum 
to  dat  first  meetin." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

WAS  ONCE  VALUED  AT  FOUR  HUNDRED   DOLLARS- 

PROBABLY  the  most  startling  comparison  that  could  be  of 
fered  to  show  the  wonderful  progress  made  by  Booker 
T.  Washington  is  that  which  is  provided  by  weighing 
his  value  as  a  chattel  in  the  old  slave  days  against  his  worth 
as  an  educator  and  economic  factor  in  the  world. 

In  1908,  Dr.  Washington  visited  his  old  home  at  Mai 
den,  West  Virginia,  and  went  to  the  scene  of  his  childhood 
days  at  Haleford,  Franklin  County,  Virginia.  Several  des 
cendants  of  Jones  Burroughs,  who  originally  owned  Washing 
ton  in  the  slave  days,  are  living  in  Roanoke,  Va.  Two  of  them 
went  to  Haleford  to  greet  the  distinguished  educator  and  in  the 
interesting  meeting  it  was  stated  by  one  of  the  grandchildren 
of  Mr.  Burroughs  that  an  inventory  of  their  progenitor's  estate 
had  been  found  in  which  the  names  of  all  slaves  and  their  asses 
sed  value  were  given. 

Booker  T.  Washington  was  valued  as  a  slave  child  in  that 
estimate  at  precisely  $400.  The  inventory  had  been  made  fol 
lowing  the  death  of  the  elder  Burroughs  in  1861,  when  the  es 
tate  went  through  the  Court. 

That  was  the  value  of  the  man  in  the  return  of  the  estate 
approved  by  the  Court.  Yet  the  world  has  declared  that  his 
loss  to  the  country  and  to  the  negro  race  is  one  that  cannot  be 
estimated,  and  men  have  had  sufficient  confidence  in  him  to 
enable  him  to  finance  and  rear  an  institution  valued  at  several 
millions  of  dollars. 

They  conceded  that  he  was  responsible  for  an  increase  in 
property  values  of  millions  of  dollars  and  caused  members  of 
his  race  to  produce  unexpected  wealth. 

118 


VALUED  AT  FOUR  HUNDRED  DOLLARS.      119 

Certainly  Dr.  Washington  was  an  exceptional  man,  and 
the  opportunity  for  such  a  comparison  is  unusual,  but  it  serves 
to  illustrate  the  need  for  abolishing  slavery  as  a  matter  of  econ 
omic  progress,  if  for  no  other  reason. 

Through  the  Negro  Business  League,  which  Dr.  Washing 
ton  organized,  he  made  this  fact  obvious.  The  organization 
was  formed  at  the  call  of  Dr.  Washington  in  1900,  when,  after 
touring  the  country  and  investigating  the  status  of  the  colored 
man,  he  determined  it  would  be  a  wise  move  to  have  leading 
negro  business  men  gather  and  discuss  conditions  looking  to  the 
improvement  of  the  race,  and  consider  economic  problems  pe 
culiar  to  the  negro. 

INCREASE  IN  NEGRO  BUSINESS  ENTERPRISES. 

The  League,  of  which  Dr.  Washington  was  president  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  had  celebrated  the  fifteenth  anniversary  of 
its  organization  in  Boston,  in  August,  1915,  when  figures 
were  presented  to  show  that  negro  business  enterprises  in  the 
United  States  had  increased  from  20,000  at  the  time  of  the 
formation  in  1900  to  45,000;  negro  banks  in  the  country  from 
2  to  51  ;  drug  stores  from  250  to  695;  and  retail  stores  of  all 
kinds  from  10,000  to  25,000.  In  the  first  ten  years  of  the  or 
ganization's  existence  the  United  States  census  returns  showed 
an  increase  of  177  per  cent,  in  the  value  of  farm  property  owned 
by  negroes,  while  the  increase  in  the  value  of  land  and  buildings 
of  negroes  was  293  per  cent.  The  comparative  figures  in  the 
latter  case  showed  an  increase  from  $69,636,420  to  $273,501,- 


In  citing  examples  to  show  the  progress  made  by  negroes 
who  graduated  from  Tuskegee  and  who  developed  as  a  result 
of  attending  the  Negro  Conferences  at  Tuskegee  and  Other 
places  in  the  South,  already  referred  to,  Dr.  Washington  tells 


120     VALUED  AT  FOUR  HUNDRED  DOLLARS. 

of  farmers  who  doubled  the  product  of  the  soil.  In  this  con 
nection  it  is  apropos  to  note  that  in  addressing  the  Negro  Fair 
held  at  Raleigh,  N.  C,  on  October  28,  1915,  just  a  fortnight 
before  Dr.  Washington  died,  Governor  Locke  Craig,  of  North 
Carolina  said: 

"  I  have  always  heard  of  the  man  who  could  raise  two  bales 
of  cotton  on  an  acre  of  ground.  But  I  have  just  seen  the  first 
man  who  has  done  it.  He  is  a  negro  named  People  and  he  has 
raised  one  thousands  pounds  of  lint  cotton  on  an  acre  of  land. 

PHILANTHROPIST  AND  PROGRESSIVE  MAN. 

"  A  man  who  can  produce  two  bales  of  cotton  on  an  acre 
is  a  useful  citizen.  He  is  a  philanthropist  and  a  progressive 


man/ 


The  Governor  had  contained  in  his  message  to  the  negroes 
one  of  Dr.  Washington's  doctrines  that  they  should  stick  to  the 
farm. 

'  Don't  encourage  your  children  to  come  to  town.  They 
may  come  to  town  and  get  a  good  job  that  seems  to  pay  more  for 
the  time  being/'  he  said,  "  but  it  is  better  in  the  long  run  for 
them  to  stay  in  the  country  where  they  were  born." 

Such  speeches  as  this  have  been  delivered  by  Dr.  Washing 
ton  to  thousands  of  negroes  in  the  South  and  all  over  the 
country.  A  great  deal  has  also  been  done  to  help  the  race  im 
provement  movement  through  women's  meetings  which  were 
conceived  as  an  auxiliary  of  the  Negro  Conference  for  farmers. 
There  were  many  women  in  attendance  at  the  farmers'  gather 
ings,  but  they  took  no  part  in  the  proceedings.  They  were 
however,  the  logical  home  makers  and  Dr.  Washington  felt 
that  they  ought  to  do  something  and  that  they  could  render  great 
assistance.  Here  again  he  proved  himself  an  advanced  thinker 
and  a  pioneer, 


VALUED  AT  FOUR  HUNDRED  DOLLARS.     121 

Throughout  the  breadth  of  the  land  during  the  last  ten 
years  there  has  been  much  talk  among  the  white  people  about 
Social  Service.  There  are  visiting  nurses  who  go  out  from  the 
Health  and  Social  Service  Departments  of  municipalities  into 
the  homes  of  people  to  help  the  poor  and  ignorant  mothers 
care  for  their  children  and  to  show  them  how  to  improve  their 
homes  and  make  life  worth  living.  They  report  unsanitary  con 
ditions  and  urge  the  mothers  to  be  clean  and  neat,  and  these  facts 
are  exploited  and  published  to  the  world  as  an  evidence  of  prog 
ress  and  advancement. 

MOTHERS'  MEETINGS  ESTABLISHED. 

But  long  ago,  Dr.  Washington  and  Mrs.  Washington  es 
tablished  Mothers'  Meetings  in  Tuskegee,  among  the  negro 
women,  which  developed  social  service  work  of  precisely  the 
same  character  as  that  which  has  within  recent  years  been  ex 
ploited  as  an  evidence  of  progress  among  the  white  people  else 
where. 

A  bare  handful  of  women  attended  the  first  meeting  in  a 
little  room,  secured  for  the  purpose  over  a  store,  but  gradually 
the  women's  interest  increased  and  the  number  in  attendance 
grew  into  hundreds.  After  a  while  some  of  them  began  to 
bring  their  children  and  then  there  grew  out  of  the  meetings 
a  sort  of  kindergarten  idea.  The  children  were  given  simple 
lessons,  listened  to  talks  on  behavior  and  provided  with  innocent 
amusements  in  the  shape  of  games  to  play  or  books  to  read  or 
look  at. 

Out  of  this  there  developed  real  settlement  work ;  not  per 
haps  just  the  sort  of  settlement  work  that  is  done  in  the  slums 
of  the  cities,  for  the  conditions  are  different,  but  ignorance 
is  about  the  same  wherever  it  may  be  found,  and  the  trained 
worker  will  meet  almost  the  same  problems.  In  the  work  done 


122     VALUED  AT  FOUR  HUNDRED  DOLLARS. 

ampng  the  negroes  around  Tuskegee,  the  settlement  house  idea 
was  developed  by  opening  a  school,  or  a  home  from  which  young 
women  of  the  Institute  went  out  to  labor  among  the  women  and 
children. 

SOCIAL  SERVICE  AND  CONSTRUCTIVE  WORK. 

Ptirely  as  means  of  showing  in  a  concrete  way  the  progres 
sive  methods  and  ideas  that  were  developed  by  Dr.  Washington 
and  his  coworkers  the  following  has  been  taken  bodily  from  the 
last  annual  catalogue  of  Tuskegee  Institute.  It  is  interesting 
as  showing,  absolutely  aside  from  what  is  done  at  the  school, 
the  scope  of  the  social  service  and  constructive  work  being  car 
ried  on  in  the  territory  surrounding  Tuskegee. 

'  The  Extension  Department  of  the  Institute  was  organiz 
ed  to  systematize  the  school's  numerous  extension  activities. 
The  actual  work  falls  under  what  may  be  described  as : 

e  i.  The  work  of  school  extension  proper,  that  is,  teach 
ing  the  people  how  to  improve  themselves  through  the  home, 
farm  and  the  school. 

"  2.  The  work  of  a  continuation  school  which  offers  to  per 
sons,  who  have  gone  out  from  the  Institute  and  are  engaged  in 
teaching  in  the  community  surrounding  the  school,  opportunities 
to  continue  their  studies  under  the  supervision  of  the  Institute 
while  they  are  engaged  in  their  work  as  teachers. 

"  There  is  an  increasing  demand  for  persons  to  teach  in 
dustries  in  public  schools,  and  to  do  community  work.  Excep 
tional  opportunities  are  offered  persons,  who  wish  to  become 
extension  workers,  to  become  acquainted  with  extension  methods 
in  the  numerous  phases  of  the  extension  work  in  Macon  County. 
The  various  school  extension  activities  follow: 

"The  Annual  Tuskegee  Negro  Conference  is  held  two 
days  in  every  year  in  the  month  of  January.  The  work  is 
divided  as  'follows : 


VALUED  AT  FOUR  HUNDRED  DOLLARS.      123 

"  The  Farmers'  Conference,  which  meets  on  the  first  day, 
gives  the  farmers  who  come  to  the  Institute  from  every  part  of 
the  South  an  opportunity  to  report  on  conditions  in  the  commun 
ities  from  which  they  come,  to  relate  in  a  familiar  way  their  per 
sonal  difficulties  and  successes,  and  the  methods  which  they  and 
their  neighbors  are  making  use  of  to  improve  community  condi 
tions. 

"  2.  The  Workers'  Conference,  which  meets  on  the  second 
day,  is  composed  of  teachers,  workers  and  other  persons  inter 
ested  in  getting  first-hand  information,  concerning  conditions 
among  Negroes  and  the  methods  which  are  being  used  to  im 
prove  conditions. 

ORGANIZING  LOCAL  CONFERENCES. 

"  An  agent  is  employed  by  the  school  whose  duty  it  is  to 
organize  local  conferences  in  different  communities  in  the  State 
and  visit  those  conferences  already  established  in  order  to  en 
courage  and  direct  them  in  their  efforts  to  build  up  the  local 
schools  and  improve  family  and  community  life  generally. 

"  Community  fairs  are  held  under  the  direction  of  the  local 
conferences  in  their  respective  communities. 

"  The  Farmers'  Institute  holds  monthly  meetings.  Simple 
lectures  and  demonstrations,  covering  the  principles  of  agricul 
ture,  are  given  and  the  farmers  are  encouraged  to  relate  their 
personal  experiences  in  applying  these  methods  to  the  soil. 
The  Macon  County  Fair  is  held  in  the  fall  of  each  year  under 
the  direction  of  the  Extension  Department. 

"  The  Short  Course  in  Agriculture  gives  the  farmers  of 
the  counties  surrounding  the  school  an  opportunity  to  spend 
two  weeks  at  the  school  in  study  and  observation. 

"  The  Farm  Demonstration  Work  is  carried  on  in  co-op 
eration  with  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  and 


124     VALUED  AT  FOU R  HUNDRED  DOLLARS. 

General  Education  Board.  A  number  of  farmers  in  selected 
communities  cultivate  a  small  portion  of  their  land  under  the 
direction  of  and  with  seed  provided  or  selected  by  the  Agricul 
tural  Department.  Farmers'  Co-operative  Schools  of  Instruc 
tion  are  formed  in  various  communities  to  carry  on  this  work. 

"  Boys'  Corn  Clubs  are  being  directed  by  the  United  States 
Demonstration  Agents. 

"  Tomato  Clubs  for  the  girls  are  being  organized. 

"  Prizes  from  five  to  fifty  dollars  are  awarded  by  the  De 
monstration  Agents  to  the  farmer  having  the  highest  yield  of 
corn,  cotton,  oats,  etc. 

"  Mothers'  Meetings,  first  established  in  the  town  of  Tuske- 
gee  by  Mrs.  Booker  T.  Washington,  are  now  found  in  nearly 
every  community  in  the  vicinity  of  the  school.  The  purpose 
of  these  meetings  is  to  interest  the  women  in  improving  the 
homes  and  moral  life,  and  in  the  general  upbuilding  of  the  com 
munity  through  the  school  and  the  church. 

A  PLANTATION  SETTLEMENT. 

:<  A  plantation  settlement  is  carried  on  at  the  Russell  Plan 
tation,  eight  miles  from  Tuskegee,  and  is  an  attempt,  through 
a  rural  school,  to  improve  conditions  of  the  Negro  farmer  in 
a  single  community  and  demonstrate  the  possibilities  of  improve 
ment  by  means  of  plantation  life  generally. 

'  The  Ministers'  Association  is  composed  of  ministers  of 
Macon  and  adjacent  counties.  It  meets  four  times  a  year  at 
the  Institute  and  takes  up  those  problems  which  concern  the 
moral  and  social  welfare  of  the  people  in  which  the  church  and 
the  ministers  are  directly  concerned.  It  has  done  much  toward 
getting  the  ministers  to  co-operate  along  undenominational  lines 
for  community  betterment. 

'  The  Town  Night  School  is  situated  in  Tuskegee  and  has 


.VALUED  AT  FOUR  HUNDRED  DOLLARS.      125 

eight  teachers,  two  of  whom  are  academic  teachers  and  five 
industrial  teachers. 

'  The  following  industries  are  taught :  Cooking,  sewing, 
carpentry,  bricklaying  and  painting. 

"The  academic  training  prepares  students  to  enter  the 
Normal  School  as  high  as  the  Junior  Class. 

"  The  students  are  mostly  from  the  town  or  they  are  stu 
dents  who  failed  to  enter  the  C  Prepatory  Class  of  the  Normal 
School. 

"  A  cooking  class  is  conducted  twice  a  week,  on  Tuesday 
and  Friday  afternoons. 

'  The  students  in  these  classes  are  heads  of  families  and 
women  who  cook  for  white  families  in  the  town. 

RURAL  SCHOOL  EXTENSION. 

''  Rural  School  Extension  seeks  to  assist  and  direct  the 
Negro  farming  communities  in  building  school  houses,  lengthen 
ing  school  terms  and  securing  competent  teachers.  The  aid  re 
ceived  from  the  Jeanes  Fund  and  other  sources  enables  the 
teachers  to  employ  the  most  effective  methods  of  teaching  the 
pupils  and  improving  the  communities,  so  that  the  schools  of  the 
county  where  Tuskegee  Institute  is  located  are  among  the  best 
rural  schools  in  the  South. 

"  A  special  supervisor  is  employed  whose  duty  it  is  to  visit 
the  various  schools  and  advise  and  assist  teachers,  particularly 
with  reference  to  the  management  of  school  farms  and  school 
gardens  and  the  teaching  of  agriculture  and  the  industries. 
One  of  the  important  tasks  of  this  supervisor  is  the  organ 
ization  of  community  clubs  for  the  support  of  the  schools. 

"  As  the  result  of  the  aid  and  direction  which  teachers  in 
Macon  County  now  receive  they  have  exceptional  opportunities 
to  continue  their  studies  under  the  direction  of  the  Institute 


126     VALUED  AT  FOUR  HUNDRED  DOLLARS. 

while  being  engaged  in  the  practical  work  of  teaching.  The  re 
sult  is  that  the  character  of  the  work  of  a  teacher  in  the  country 
has  gained  the  character  of  post-graduate  study  in  the  extension 
teaching  method  of  the  Tuskegee  Institute.  Teachers  in  the 
county  schools  may  thus  fit  themselves  while  carrying  on  their 
work  of  teachers  for  the  more  responsible  position  of  a  super 
vising  teacher  and  of  teaching  of  a  professional  grade. 

"  There  are  fifty-five  rural  schools  in  Macon  County  which 
are  now  under  the  general  supervision  of  Tuskegee  Institute. 
These  schools  offer  opportunities  to  a  limited  number  of  stu 
dents  to  engage  in  school  work  and  carry  on  their  studies  as 
described.  The  facilities  offered  at  present  for  work  of  this 
character  are  as  follows : 

RURAL  SUPERVISION  WORK. 

"  The  Rural  Supervision  work  of  the  Institute  serves  to 
keep  rural  teachers  in  touch  with  the  methods  taught  in  the  In 
stitute  classes  in  education  as  practiced  at  the  Children's  House, 
the  training  school  for  teachers.  It  enables  them  to  carry  out 
suggestions  for  building  up  the  rural  schools  under  the  direction 
of  an  agent  of  the  school. 

"  A  model  School  is  maintained  in  what  is  known  as  the 
Rising  Star  community,  which  is  just  beyond  the  Institute  farm, 
where  a  combined  school  and  dwelling  house  has  been  erected 
and  two  graduates  of  Tuskegee,  a  man  and  his  wife,  occupy 
and  conduct  a  public  school.  The  house  contains  five  rooms : 
a  sitting  room,  bed  room,  a  kitchen,  a  dining  room,  and  a  special 
class  room.  There  is  also  a  barn  and  a  garden,  with  horses,  cow, 
pigs  and  chickens.  The  regular  class  room  work  is  carried  on  in 
this  as  in  other  public  rural  schools,  except  that  instead  of 
spending  all  their  time  in  a  class  room,  pupils  are  divided  into 
sections  and  given  instruction  in  the  ordinary  industries  of  a 


VALUED  AT  FOUR  HUNDRED  DOLLARS.      127 

farm  community.  While  some  pupils  cook,  others  clean  the 
house,  others  the  yard,  others  work  in  the  garden,  others  are  re 
ceiving  literary  instruction. 

"  Rural  School  Libraries,  circulating  libraries  sent  out  by 
the  Institute  Library,  contain  sets  of  books  for  teachers  and 
pupils  of  the  rural  schools.  A  part  of  these  are  for  general 
reading  and  the  others  are  professional  books.  The  library 
enables  the  teacher  to  become  familiar  with,  and  make  use  of, 
in  the  class  room,  some  of  the  best  books  for  children.  The 
books  of  general  culture  and  professional  books  on  teaching 
agriculture  enable  the  teacher  to  improve  along  lines  of  general 
culture  and  to  make  a  more  systematic  study  of  rural  school  con 
ditions  and  of  the  work  and  place  of  the  rural  school  in  rural 
life. 

METHODS  OF  ADJUSTING  CLASS-ROOM  WORK. 

"  The  Teachers'  Institute,  which  meets  annually,  affords  an 
opportunity  for  teachers  in  the  county  to  come  into  touch  with 
each  other  and  with  the  Institute  teachers.  Among  the  subjects 
discussed  at  these  meetings,  in  addition  to  those  of  general  class 
room  methods,  are  such  matters  as :  methods  of  adjusting  the 
class-room  work  to  the  needs  of  the  community  in  which  the 
school  is  located;  the  teaching  of  cooking  in  rural  schools; 
methods  of  improving  the  social  life  of  the  community;  methods 
of  supplementing  the  public  school  funds;  management  of  the 
school  farms ;  professional  reading  for  rural  teachers ;  corrella- 
tion  and  adjustment  of  academic  and  industrial  teaching  in  the 
rural  school. 

"  These  meetings  are  conducted  so  that  the  teacher  gains 
not  merely  the  benefit  of  the  suggestions  of  the  other  teachers 
present,  but  every  teacher  is  invited  and  is  expected  to  make 


128     VALUED  AT  FOUR  HUNDRED  DOLLARS. 

real  contribution  to  the  knowledge  of  the  problems  of  the  schools 
and  communities  in  which  they  are  working." 

Here  again  is  an  evidence  of  Dr.  Washington's  great 
belief  in  the  value  of  service.  While  his  students  and  coworkers 
benefited  from  the  experience  they  gained  in  the  extension 
work,  they  rendered  a  service  to  the  people  in  these  many  activi 
ties  which  they  could  never  receive  in  any  other  circumstance. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  CAPSTONES  OF  FAME. 

PERHAPS  the  incident  in  the  career  of  Booker  T.  Wash 
ington,  which  showed  more  clearly  than  any  other  the 
high  regard  which  was  held  for  him  by  the  country  at 
large,  was  that  which  followed  the  election  of  President  William 
McKinley,  in  1896,  when  it  was  suggested  that  Dr.  Washington 
be  given  a  place  in  the  Cabinet  of  the  President  elect.  That 
he  was  not  appointed  is  not  of  significance.  Dr.  Washington 
then  declared  that  he  would  not  put  aside  the  work  he  was 
doing  for  his  people  and  go  into  politics  or  public  life,  and  de 
clared  from  the  public  platform  that  under  no  consideration 
would  he  accept  such  an  appointment  as  was  suggested. 

But  the  newspapers  of  the  country  as  well  as  a  number  of 
persons  prominent  in  public  life  commented  favorably  upon 
Dr.  Washington's  eligibility  for  a  Cabinet  place,  and  declared 
that  the  consistent  support  which  the  Republican  party  had  re 
ceived  at  the  hands  of  the  negro  voters  justified  Presidential 
consideration  of  the  appointment  of  a  representative  of  the  race 
to  a  Cabinet  post.  It  was  even  suggested  that,  because  of  Dr. 
Washington's  success  in  agricultural  and  industrial  training  at 
Tuskegee,  he  should  he  made  Secretary  of  Agriculture. 

The  negro  leader  was,  however,  called  into  conference  by 
President  McKinley  on  questions  relating  to  the  colored  man 
in  the  South,  as  he  was  later  called  to  Washington  by  other 
Executives,  notably  President  Roosevelt.  It  was  on  one  of  these 
visits  that  Dr.  Washington  took  luncheon  with  President  Roose 
velt  at  the  White  House.  There  was  a  storm  of  protest  from 
many  quarters  and  some  hostility  was  shown  toward  the  negro 

9-W  129 


130  THE  CAPSTONES  OF  FAME. 

educator  afterwards.  The  incident  to  some  degree  aroused,  or 
revived  for  a  time,  a  semblance  of  the  old  bitterness  between 
the  North  and  the  South.  The  people  of  the  South  feared  the 
effect  it  might  have  upon  its  negro  population  and  severely  crit 
icised  Roosevelt  for  extending  such  an  invitation,  and  as  gen 
erously  rebuked  Dr.  Washington  for  having  accepted  the  in 
vitation.  The  North  rushed  to  the  defense  of  the  President  and 
of  Dr.  Washington,  and  the  work  of  the  latter  was  not  serious 
ly  affected,  for  he  continued  to  receive  the  support  of  the  people 
of  both  sections. 

FOREMOST  LEADER  OF  HIS  RACE. 

Such  an  incident  might  have  wrecked  a  less  balanced  man, 
but  one  of  the  strongest  links  in  the  chain  which  held  Dr.  Wash 
ington  to  the  hearts  of  the  people  was  his  attitude  on  the  relative 
position  of  the  races.  By  the  very  circumstances  of  his  birth 
he  was  as  much  Caucasian  as  he  was  African,  but  the  mixed 
parentage  did  not  remove  him  from  classification  with  the  race 
of  negroes.  Physically  and  externally  there  was  no  mistaking 
the  characteristics  derived  from  the  African  side  of  his  parent 
age.  He  could  not  have  escaped  his  identity  in  this  respect  had 
he  chosen  to,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact,  and  this  is  the  important 
point,  he  not  only  accepted  the  place  which  nature  partly,  and 
custom  wholly,  assigned  him  in  the  processes  of  racial  divi 
sion,  but  he  became  the  foremost  leader  of  his  race  in  trying  to 
rid  it  of  false  and  foolish  illusions  as  to  what  it  might  be  if  it 
were  to  attempt  to  do  things  which  naturally  or  inherently 
there  had  never  been  any  experience  to  show  that  it  could  or 
would  do. 

Dr.  Washington  chose  to  win  recognition  for  the  negro  race 
by  so  developing  it  that  the  members  would  be  acknowledged 
for  what  they  had  done,  and  not  because  of  any  particular  color 


THE  CAPSTONES  OF  FAME.  131 

of  their  skin.  He  inspired  his  students  to  feel  a  pride  in  their 
race,  to  develop  a  personal  respect  that  would  win  the  respect 
of  others,  and  he  helped  make  the  way  easier  for  generations  of 
negroes  to  come.  He  proved  his  theory  by  winning  his  way  des 
pite  his  color. 

Something  of  the  exceptional  position  which  Dr.  Washing 
ton  held  in  the  minds  of  the  people  is  indicated  in  the  story  which 
the  great  educator  himself  told  of  an  experience  he  had  while 
making  an  address  in  Florida.  A  typical  Southerner  greeted 
him  enthusiastically  and  declared,  "  Dr.  Washington,  yo'  are 
the  greatest  man  in  the  country." 

GREAT  ADMIRER  OF  PRESIDENT  ROOSEVELT. 

Dr.  Washington,  who  had  a  fine  sense  of  humor,  laughing 
ly  replied  that  he  did  not  think  such  a  thing  possible. 

"Who's  greater,  suh?"  demanded  the  Southern  admirer. 

"  Well,  President  Roosevelt,  for  one,"  said  Dr.  Washing 
ton,  who  was  a  great  admirer  of  the  "  Colonel." 

The  Southerner  had  once  been  a  great  admirer  of  President 
Roosevelt. 

"  You're  wrong,  suh.  I  held  that  opinion  for  quite  some 
time  myself;  but  I  ain't  thought  so  since  he  asked  you  to  have 
dinner  at  the  White  House  with  him." 

Another  story  of  the  South,  which,  shows  the  high  regard 
in  which  Dr.  Washington  is  held,  is  told  somewhat  at  the  ex 
pense  of  President  Roosevelt  himself. 

While  the  President  was  on  his  famous  bear  hunt  in  Louis 
iana,  he  came  upon  an  old  colored  man's  cabin  in  the  swamp 
lands.  In  the  yard  were  two  fine  hounds.  Mr.  Roosevelt 
made  several  ofifers  for  the  dogs,  but  the  old  Negro  was  not  to 
be  inveigled  into  disposing  of  them. 


132  THE  CAPSTONES  OF  FAME. 

Finally  President  Roosevelt  said,  smilingly,  "  I  believe 
you  would  sell  me  those  dogs  if  you  knew  who  I  am." 

"  Sail  you  dem  dawgs  if  I  knowed  who  you  is ;  who  is  yo' 
anyhow?" 

"  I  am  President  Roosevelt,"  said  the  Nation's  Chief  Ex 
ecutive,  who  actually  wanted  the  dogs. 

"  Huh,"  grunted  the  grizzled  negro,  without  the  slightest 
show  of  being  impressed,  "  I  wouldn't  sail  you  dem  dawgs  if  yo' 
all  wuz  Bookar  T.  Washington  hisself."  And  he  did  not. 

It  has  already  been  noted  that  Dr.  Washington  was  the 
first  negro  to  be  honored  by  Harvard  University,  and  as  no  at 
tempt  is  being  made  to  present  the  incidents  of  his  career, 
chronologically,  it  may  be  appropriately  mentioned  here  that 
Dartmouth  also  conferred  a  degree  upon  him  in  1901. 

REWARDED  FOR  HIS  EFFORTS. 

In  1899  Dr.  Washington  secured  what  he  regarded  as  one 
of  his  most  valued  experiences  when  he  went  to  Europe.  The 
trip  came  as  a  reward  for  his  efforts  during  a  period  of  cease 
less  struggle.  Not  one  day,  scarcely  an  hour,  had  he  been  re 
leased  from  the  burden  of  work  which  he  took  upon  himself 
in  building  up  Tuskegee. 

The  negro  educator  was  particularly  active  at  this  time  on 
the  public  platform,  and  it  was  noted  by  some  of  his  friends 
and  the  supporters  of  Tuskegee  that  he  needed  a  change,  and 
a  trip  abroad  was  arranged  for  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Washington. 
The  fairy  wand  was  to  be  waved  for  him.  He  who  in  child 
hood  had  scarcely  known  a  bed,  who  had  lived  little  better  than 
the  swine  in  the  plantation  pen,  was  to  see  the  beautiful  Paris, 
London  and  the  wonderful  Belgian  country,  since  desecrated  by 
the  powder  and  shell  of  the  German  soldiers. 

The  one  thing  that  Dr.  Washington  always  warned  his 


THE  CAPSTONES  OF  FAME.  133 

people  against  was  "  treading  on  air/'  and  he  insisted  that  they 
should  "  keep  their  feet  on  the  ground. "  When  the  time  ap 
proached  for  him  to  make  his  journey  abroad  he  said  he  felt 
that  some  persons  might  criticise  him  because  he  was  getting 
"  stuck  up." 

Dr.  Washington  sailed  with  Mrs.  Washington  from  New 
York  on  the  steamship  Friesland  in  May,  and  landed  in  Ant 
werp.  It  would  not  be  extravagant  to  say  that  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Washington  were  lionized  during  their  trip,  and  though  the 
purpose  of  the  visit  was  to  give  the  educator  a  much  needed  rest, 
with  characteristic  energy  he  proceeded  to  take  advantage  of 
his  trips  into  Holland,  Belgium  'and  England  to  study  the  agri 
cultural  conditions,  dairying,  and  those  things  relating  to  the 
people  of  the  soil  which  might  be  of  use  to  him  in  dealing  with 
his  problems  at  Tuskegee. 

HONORED  WHILE  ABROAD. 

In  Paris  Dr.  Washington  was  a  guest  at  the  University 
Club  at  a  Banquet  where  ex-President  Harrison  and  Archbishop 
Ireland  were  also  guests.  He  and  Mrs.  Washington  were  also 
guests  at  a  reception  given  by  General  Horace  Porter,  American 
Ambassador,  and  many  other  functions.  They  visited  the 
Hague,  where  the  International  Peace  Congress  was  then  being 
held.  In  London  Dr.  Washington,  at  the  suggestion  of  Am 
bassador  Choate,  delivered  a  public  address  on  the  Negro 
question,  which  brought  forth  most  flattering  comments  in  the 
English  newspapers.  His  speech  was  reported  at  great  length 
and  was  sent  broadcast  over  the  world.  It  was  in  introducing 
Dr.  Washington  at  this  meeting  that  Ambassador  Choate  said 
that  Dr.  Washington  was  one  of  the  few  men  who  had  the 
unique  privilege  of  naming  himself  and  that  in  doing  so  he  had 
taken  the  best  name  there  was. 


134  THE  CAPSTONES  OF  FAME. 

Many  prominent  persons  attended  this  meeting  including 
Hon.  James  Bryce,  who  has  since  contributed  to  literature  a 
famous  work  on  America,  reflecting  his  views  gained  while  serv 
ing  as  Ambassador  at  Washington.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Washington 
had  the  distinction  of  being  entertained  at  receptions  given  by 
the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Sutherland,  and  with  a  party  were 
guests  of  Queen  Victoria  at  a  tea  in  Windsor  Castle.  Dr  and 
Mrs.  Washington  were  also  entertained  in  a  number  of  the 
best  English  homes. 

It  was  abroad,  too,  years  after  Dr.  Washington's  visit,  that 
Andrew  Carnegie  in  an  address  before  the  Philosophical  In 
stitution  of  Edinburg,  paid  his  famous  tribute  to  the  negro  edu 
cator.  This  is  what  the  iron  master,  who  has  given  thousands 
of  dollars  to  Tuskegee,  said: 

LEADER  OF  HIS  RACE. 

"  Booker  T.  Washington  is  the  combined  Moses  and  Joshua 
of  his  people.  Not  only  has  he  led  them  to  the  promised  land, 
but  still  lives  to  teach  them  by  precept  and  example  how  to  enjoy 
it.  He  is  one  of  those  extraordinary  men  who  rise  at  inter 
vals  and  work  miracles.  Born  a  slave,  he  is  to-day  the 
acknowledged  leader  of  his  race.  Considering  what  he  was  and 
what  he  is  and  what  he  has  already  accomplished,  the  point  he 
started  from  and  the  commanding  position  attained,  he  is  cer 
tainly  one  of  the  most  wonderful  men  living  or  who  ever  lived. 
History  will  tell  of  two  Washingtons — the  white  and  the  black, 
one  the  father  of  his  country,  the  other  the  leader  of  his  race." 

One  of  the  things  which  Dr.  Washington's  tour  in  Europe 
did  was  to  intensify,  if  possible,  his  interest  in  the  life  and  work 
of  Frederick  Douglass.  He  found  that  Douglass  was  greatly 
respected  in  England.  How  near  Dr.  Washington  followed  the 
theories  of  Douglass  in  his  efforts  to  solve  the  race  problem  may 


THE  CAPSTONES  OF  FAME.  135 

here  be  gauged  by  reading  a  letter  in  which  Douglass  outlined 
his  ideas  to  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe,  author  of  the  wonderful 
story,  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  than  which  no  greater  protest 
against  slavery  was  ever  uttered.  The  communication  which 
was  written  from  Rochester,  New  York,  under  date  of  March 
8,  1853,  reads: 

"  My  Dear  Mrs.  Stowe :  You  kindly  informed  me  when  at 
your  home  a  fortnight  ago,  that  you  designed  to  do  something 
which  should  permanently  contribute  to  the  improvement  and 
elevation  of  the  free  colored  people  of  the  United  States.  You 
especially  expressed  an  interest  in  such  of  this  class  as  had 
become  free  by  their  own  exertions,  and  desired  most  of  all  to 
be  of  service  to  them.  In  what  manner  and  by  what  means 
you  can  assist  this  class  most  successfully,  is  the  subject  upon 

which  you  have  done  me  the  honor  to  ask  my  opinion 

I  assert,  then,  that  poverty,  ignorance,  and  degradation  are  the 
combined  evils;  or  in  other  words,  these  constitute  the  social 
disease  of  the  free  colored  people  of  the  United  States. 

NO  FANCIED  OR  ARTIFICIAL  ELEVATION. 

"  To  deliver  them  from  this  triple  malady  is  to  improve 
and  elevate  them,  by  means  simply  to  put  them  on  an  equal  foot 
ing  with  their  white  fellow-countrymen  in  the  sacred  right 
of  '  Life,  Liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness.'  I  am  for  no 
fancied  or  artificial  elevation,  but  only  ask  fair  play.  How 
shall  this  be  obtained  ?  I  answer,  first,  not  by  establishing  for 
our  use  high  schools  and  colleges.  Such  institutions  are,  in 
my  judgment,  beyond  our  immediate  occasions  and  are  not  adap 
ted  to  our  present  most  pressing  wants.  High  schools  and 
colleges  are  excellent  institutions,  and  will  in  due  season  be 
greatly  subservient  to  our  progress ;  but  they  are  the  result,  as 


136  THE  CAPSTONES  OP  FAME. 

well  as  they  are  the  demand,  of  a  point  of  progress  which  we  as 
a  people  have  not  yet  attained. 

;<  Accustomed  as  we  have  been  to  the  rougher  and  harder 
modes  of  living,  and  of  gaining  a  livelihood,  we  cannot  and  we 
ought  not  to  hope  that  in  a  single  leap  from  our  low  condition 
we  can  reach  that  of  Ministers,  Lawyers,  Doctors,  Editors, 
Merchants,  etc.  These  will  doubtless  be  attained  by  us ;  but  this 
will  only  be  when  we  have  patiently  and  laboriously,  and  I  may 
add,  successfully,  mastered  and  passed  through  the  intermediate 
gradations  of  agriculture  and  the  mechanical  arts.  Besides 
there  are  (and  perhaps  there  is  better  reason  for  my  views 
of  the  case)  numerous  institutions  of  learning  in  this  country, 
already  thrown  open  to  colored  youth.  To  my  thinking,  there 
are  quite  as  many  facilities  now  afforded  to  the  colored  people 
as  they  can  spare  the  time,  from  the  sterner  duties  of  life,  to 
judiciously  appropriate. 

COLLEGES  OPENED  TO  COLORED  PEOPLE. 

"  In  their  present  condition  of  life  they  cannot  spare  their 
sons  and  daughters  two  or  three  years  at  boarding  schools  or 
colleges,  to  say  nothing  of  finding  the  means  to  sustain  them 
while  at  such  institutions.  I  take  it,  therefore,  that  we  are  well 
provided  for  in  this  respect;  and  that  it  may  be  fairly  inferred 
from  the  fact  that  the  facilities  for  our  education,  so  far  as 
schools  and  colleges  in  the  Free  States  are  concerned,  will  in 
crease  quite  in  proportion  with  our  future  wants.  Colleges 
have  been  opened  to  the  colored  youth  in  this  country  during  the 
last  dozen  years.  Yet  few,  comparatively,  have  acquired  a 
classical  education;  and  even  this -few  have  found  themselves 
educated  far  above  living  conditions,  there  being  no  methods 
by  which  they  could  turn  their  learning  to  account.  Several 
of  this  latter  class  have  entered  the  ministry ;  but  you  need  not 


THE  CAPSTONES  OF  FAME.  137 

be  told  that  an  educated  people  is  needed  to  sustain  an  ed 
ucated  ministry.  There  must  be  a  certain  amount  of  cultiva 
tion  among  people  to  sustain  such  ministry.  At  present  we  have 
not  that  cultivation  among  us ;  and,  therefore,  we  value  in  the 
preacher  strong  lungs  rather  than  high  learning.  I  do  not  say 
that  educated  ministers  are  not  needed  amongst  us ;  far  from  it. 
I  wish  there  were  more  of  them ;  but  to  increase  their  number  is 
not  the  largest  benefit  you  can  bestow  upon  us. 

GRATIFYING  EVIDENCE  OF  PROGRESS. 

"  We  have  two  or  three  colored  lawyers  in  this  country; 
and  I  rejoice  in  the  fact;  for  it  affords  very  gratifying  evidence 
of  our  progress.  Yet  it  must  be  confessed  that,  in  point  of  suc 
cess,  our  lawyers  are  as  great  failures  as  ministers.  White 
people  will  not  employ  them  to  the  obvious  embarrassment 
of  their  cause;  the  blacks,  taking  their  cue  from  the  whites, 
have  not  sufficient  confidence  in  their  abilities  to  employ  them. 
Hence  educated  colored  men,  among  the  colored  people,  are 
at  a  very  great  discount. 

"  It  would  seem  that  education  and  emigration  go  together 
with  us,  for  as  soon  as  a  man  rises  amongst  us,  capable,  by  his 
genius  and  learning,  to  do  us  great  service,  just  so  soon  he  finds 
that  he  can  serve  himself  better  by  going  elsewhere.  In  proof 
of  this,  I  might  instance  the  Russwurms,  the  Garnets,  the 
Wards,  the  Crummels,  and  others,  all  men  of  superior  ability 
and  attainments,  and  capable  of  removing  mountains  of  preju 
dice  against  their  race,  by  their  simple  presence  in  the  country. 

But  these  gentlemen,  finding  themselves  embarrassed  here 
by  the  peculiar  disadvantages  to  which  I  have  referred,  dis 
advantages  in  part  growing  out  of  their  education,  being  re 
pelled  by  ignorance  on  one  hand  and  prejudice  on  the  other,  and 
having  no  taste  to  continue  a  contest  against  such  odds,  have 


138  THE  CAPSTONES  OF  FAME. 

sought  more  congenial  climes,  where  they  can  live  more  peace 
able  and  quiet  lives.  I  regret  their  election,  but  I  cannot  blame 
them ;  for  with  an  equal  amount  of  education  and  the  hard  lot 
which  was  theirs,  I  might  follow  their  example. 

"  There  is  little  reason  to  hope  that  any  considerable  num 
ber  of  free  colored  people  will  ever  be  induced  to  leave  this 
country,  even  if  such  a  thing  were  desirable.  The  black  man 
(unlike  the  Indian)  loves  civilization.  He  does  not  make  very 
great  progress  in  civilization  himself,  but  he  likes  to  be  in  the 
midst  of  it,  and  he  prefers  to  share  its  most  galling  evils  to 
encountering  barbarism.  Then  the  love  of  country,  the  dread 
of  isolation,  the  lack  of  adventurous  spirit,  and  the  thought  of 
seeming  to  desert  their  <  brethren  in  bonds/  are  a  powerful 
:heck  upon  all  schemes  of  colonization,  which  look  to  the  removal 
of  the  colored  people  without  the  slaves. 

GROWN  UP  WITH  THE  REPUBLIC. 

'  The  truth  is,  dear  madam,  we  are  here  and  we  are  likely 
to  remain.  Individuals  emigrate — nations  never.  We  have 
grown  up  with  this  republic,  and  see  nothing  in  her  character, 
or  even  in  the  character  of  the  American  people,  as  yet,  which 
compels  the  belief  that  we  must  leave  the  United  States. 

;<  If,  then,  we  are  to  remain  here,  the  question  for  the  wise 
and  good  is  precisely  that  which  you  have  submitted  to  me — 
namely :  What  can  be  done  to  improve  the  condition  of  the  free 
people  of  color  in  the  United  States  ?  The  plan  which  I  humbly 
submit  in  answer  to  this  inquiry  (and  hope  it  may  find  favor 
with  you,  and  with  many  friends  of  humanity  who  honor,  love 
and  co-operate  with  you)  is  the  establishment  in  Rochester,  N. 
Y.,  or  in  some  part  of  the  United  States  favorable  to  such  an  en 
terprise,  of  an  industrial  college  in  which  shall  be  taught  several 
important  branches  of  the  mechanic  arts.  This  college  shall 


THE  CAPSTONES  OF  FAME-  139 

be  open  to  colored  youth.     I  shall  pass  over  the  details  of  such  an 
institution  as  I  propose. 

"  Never  having  had  a  day's  schooling  in  my  life,  I  may  not 
be  expected  to  map  out  the  details  of  a  plan  so  comprehensive 
as  that  involved  in  the  idea  of  a  college.  I  repeat,  then,  that  I 
leave  the  organization  and  administration  of  the  institution  to 
the  superior  wisdom  of  yourself  and  the  friends  who  second  your 
noble  efforts.  The  argument  in  favor  of  an  Industrial  Col 
lege  a  college  to  be  conducted  by  the  best  men,  and  the  best 
workmen  which  the  mechanic  arts  can  afford;  a  college  where 
colored  youth  can  be  instructed  to  use  their  hands,  as  well  as 
their  heads ;  where  they  can  be  put  in  possession  of  the  means  of 
getting  a  living  wherever  their  lot  in  after  life  may  be  cast 
among  civilized  or  uncivilized  men ;  whether  they  choose  to  stay 
here,  or  prefer  to  return  to  the  land  of  their  fathers)  is  briefly 
this:  Prejudice  against  the  free  colored  people  in  the  United 
States  has  shown  itself  nowhere  so  invincible  as  among  mechan 
ics.  The  farmer  and  the  professional  man  cherish  no  feeling 
so  bitter  as  that  cherished  by  these.  The  latter  would  starve 
us  out  of  the  country  entirely. 

MONOPLY  OF  MENIAL  EMPLOYMENT. 

''  At  this  moment  I  can  more  easily  get  my  son  into  a  law 
yer's  office  to  study  law  than  I  can  in  a  blacksmith's  shop  to 
blow  the  bellows  and  to  wield  the  sledge-hammer.  Denied  the 
means  of  learning  useful  trades,  we  are  pressed  into  the  narrow 
est  limits  to  obtain  a  livelihood.  In  times  past  we  have  been  the 
hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water  for  American  society, 
and  we  once  enjoyed  a  monopoly  in  menial  employments,  but 
this  is  so  no  longer.  Even  these  employments  are  rapidly  pass 
ing  away  out  of  our  hands.  The  fact  is,  (every  day  begins  with 
the  lesson,  and  ends  with  the  lesson)  that  colored  men  must 


140  THE  CAPSTONES  OF  FAME. 

learn  trades ;  must  find  new  employments,  new  modes  of  useful 
ness  to  society,  or  that  they  must  decay  under  the  pressing 
wants  to  which  their  condition  is  rapidly  bringing  them. 

"  We  must  become  mechancs ;  we  must  build  as  well  as 
live  in  houses ;  we  must  make  as  well  as  use  furniture ;  we  must 
construct  bridges  as  well  as  pass  over  them;  before  we  can 
properly  live  or  be  respected  by  our  fellow-men.  We  need 
mechanics  as  well  as  ministers.  We  need  workers  in  iron,  clay, 
and  leather.  We  have  orators,  authors,  and  other  professional 
men,  but  these  reach  only  a  certain  class,  and  get  respect  for  our 
race  in  certain  select  circles.  To  live  here  as  we  ought  we  must 
fasten  ourselves  to  our  countrymen  through  their  every  day, 
cardinal  wants.  We  must  not  only  be  able  to  black  boots,  but  to 
make  them.  At  present  we  are  in  the  Northern  States  unknown 
as  mechanics.  We  give  no  proof  of  genius  or  skill  at  the  county, 
state  or  national  fairs.  We  are  unknown  at  any  of  the  great 
exhibitions  of  the  industry  of  our  fellow  citizens,  and  being  un 
known,  we  are  unconsidered. 

"  Wishing  you,  dear  madam,  renewed  health,  a  pleasant 
passage  and  safe  return  to  your  native  land,  I  am,  most  truly, 
your  gratified  friend, 

FREDERICK  DOUGLASS." 

This  shows  how  the  mantle  of  Elijah  fell  from  the  shoul- 
lers  of  Douglass  to  Washington,  for  assuredly  no  more  vigorous 
advocacy  of  the  system  of  industrial  training  for  the  negro  has 
ever  been  given. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
SOME  REFLECTED  VIEWS  OF  DR.  WASHINGTON. 

IF  Booker  T.  Washington  had  any  weaknesses,  they  were 
not  in  the  matter  of  principle.  He  never  deviated  from 
his  principles,  which  were  uniformly  of  the  kind  to  win 
admiration,  though  his  methods  may  have  sometimes  been 
questioned.  He  was  for  the  colored  man  first,  last  and  all  the 
time.  He  had  no  more  respect  for  a  disreputable  negro  than 
has  the  respectable  white  man,  and  he  believed  in  obeying  and 
enforcing  the  laws. 

When  Jack  Johnson,  the  negro  pugilist,  got  into  dis 
repute  by  his  conduct  in  Chicago,  Dr.  Washington  declared 
that  he  was  a  disgrace  to  the  negro  race.  About  this  time  the 
negro  educator  was  delivering  an  address  at  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  in  Philadelphia.  Since  Johnson's  troubles  in 
volved  his  marriage  to  a  white  woman,  Dr.  Washington  was 
asked  what  attitude  was  assumed  in  the  matter  of  inter 
marriages  and  what  was  taught  at  Tuskegee.  His  answer 
was  terse  and  to  the  point.  "  We  don't  teach  it,"  he  said. 

One  of  the  negro  educator's  characteristic  utterances, 
which  was  published  all  over  the  country,  was  a  letter  which 
he  issued  in  August,  1908,  as  a  protest  against  "lynch  law" 
in  the  South.  As  showing  his  attitude,  and  his  direct  and 
forceful  method  of  presenting  his  appeal  for  the  members  of 
his  race,  his  words  are  reproduced  as  they  appeared  in  the 
New  York  World,  of  August  29,  1908,  under  a  Baltimore 
date : 

"Within  the  past  sixty  days  twenty-five  negroes  have 
been  lynched  in  different  parts  of  the  United  States.  Of  this 
number  only  four  were  even  charged  with  criminal  assault 

141 


142  SOME  REFLECTED  VIEWS. 

upon  women.  Nine  were  lynched  in  one  day  on  the  charge 
of  being  connected  with  murder.  Four  were  lynched  in  one 
day  on  the  charge  that  they  passed  resolutions  in  a  lodge 
approving  the  murder  of  an  individual.  Three  were  lynched 
in  one  day  on  the  charge  that  they  had  taken  part  in  the 
burning  of  a  gin  house.  The  others  were  lynched  for  mis 
cellaneous  reasons. 

ct  One  was  publicly  burned  in  open  daylight  in  the  pres 
ence  of  women  and  children,  after  oil  had  been  poured  upon 
his  body,  at  Greenville,  Tex.,  and  reports  state  that  a  thous 
and  people  witnessed  the  spectacle  in  the  open  square  of  the 
town.  One  other  victim  was  eighty  years  of  age.  How  long 
can  our  Christian  civilization  stand  this  ?  I  am  making  no 
special  plea  for  the  negro,  innocent  or  guilty,  but  I  am  calling 
attention  to  the  danger  that  threatens  our  civilization. 

A  NEGRO  CRIMINAL'S  JUST  DESERTS. 

"For  the  negro  criminal,  and  especially  for  the  negro 
loafer,  gambler  and  drunkard,  I  have  nothing  but  the  severest 
condemnation,  and  no  legal  punishment  is  too  severe  for  the 
brute  that  assaults  a  woman. 

"  It  requires  no  courage  for  500  men  to  tie  the  hands  of 
an  individual  to  the  stake  or  to  hang  or  shoot  him.  But 
young  men  and  boys  who  have  once  witnessed  or  who  have  read 
in  the  papers  of  these  exciting  scenes  of  burnings  and  lynch- 
ings  often  get  the  idea  that  there  is  something  heroic  in  at 
tacking  some  individual  in  the  community  who  is  at  least  able 
to  defend  himself. 

"  No  doubt  the  people  who  engage  in  lynchings,  and  ex 
cuse  them,  believe  that  they  will  have  the  effect  of  striking 
terror  to  the  guilty.  But  who  shall  say  whether  the  persons 
lynched  are  guilty  ?  There  is  no  way  of  distinguishing  the 


SOME  REFLECTED  VIEWS.  143 

innocent  from  the  guilty  except  by  due  process  of  law.  That 
is  what  courts  are  for.  Those  who  have  examined  into  the 
facts  know  only  too  well  that  in  the  wild  justice  of  the  mob  it 
is  frequently  the  innocent  man  who  is  executed. 

"These  lynchings  terrify  the  innocent,  but  they  em 
bolden  the  criminal.  The  criminal  knows  it  is  much  easier 
to  escape  the  mad  fury  of  the  mob  than  the  deliberate  venge 
ance  of  the  law.  But  no  man  is  so  innocent  that  he  can  be 
safe  at  all  times  from  the  frenzy  of  the  mob. 

NEGRO'S  UNFAIR  CONDEMNATION. 

"  Statistics  show  that  during  the  past  ten  years,  an  aver 
age  of  thirty-two  negroes  a  year  have  been  lynched  on  the 
charge  of  assaulting  women.  Granting  that  thirty-two  per 
year  are  guilty,  is  that  a  just  reason  for  condemning  over 
3,000,00x3  adult  negro  men  who  have  no  part  in  such  crimes  ? 
Are  we  as  a  nation  to  allow  thirty-two  criminals  a  year  out  of 
a  race  of  10,000,000  of  people  to  throw  us  into  a  frenzy  and 
change  the  complexion  of  our  civilization  so  that  we  are  held 
up  to  foreign  nations  as  an  uncivilized  people  not  governed  by 
law  or  order?  Again  I  would  say  I  am  not  making  any 
special  plea  for  the  negro,  b"ut  because  I  feel  that  lynching  is 
not  only  wrong,  but  a  mistake — an  awful  mistake. 

lC  Mob  justice  undermines  the  very  foundation  upon  which 
our  civilization  rests,  viz.,  respect  for  the  law  and  confidence 
of  its  security.  There  are,  in  my  opinion,  two  remedies — 
First  of  all,  let  us  unite  in  a  determined  effort  everywhere  to 
see  that  the  law  is  enforced,  that  all  people  at  all  times  and 
all  places  see  that  the  man  charged  with  crime  is  given  a  fair 
trial. 

"  Secondly,  let  all  good  citizens  unite  in  an  effort  to  rid 
the  communities,  especially  the  large  cities,  of  the  idle,  vicious 


144  SOME  REFLECTED  VIEWS. 

and  gambling  element.  And  in  this  connection  I  would  not 
be  just  and  would  not  be  frank  unless  I  stated  that  the  betters 
of  the  black  race  could  use  their  influence,  especially  in  the 
cities,  to  see  that  the  idle  element  that  lives  by  its  wits  without 
permanent  or  reliable  occupation  or  place  of  abode  is  either 
reformed  or  gotten  rid  of  in  some  manner.  In  most  cases  it  is 
this  element  that  furnishes  the  powder  for  these  explosions." 

HIS  CONSISTENCY  ON  THE  NEGRO  PROBLEM. 

As  indicating  how  consistent  he  was  in  his  attitude  on  the 
negro  problem,  two  addresses  dealing  with  his  favorite  subject 
and  work  are  reproduced.  They  were  delivered  about  three 
years  apart.  The  first  at  the  Academy  of  Music  in  Philadel 
phia,  in  1912,  when  Mayor  Blankenburg,  the  Reform  Executive 
of  the  City,  presided  at  the  meeting,  which  was  held  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Armstrong  Association.  Dr.  Washington  said 
in  part : 

"  As  indicating  the  far-reaching  influence  of  the  work 
of  such  institutions  as  Tuskegee,  Hampton  and  others,  I  have 
just  come  from  witnessing  a  remarkable  demonstration  in  the 
heart  of  Mississippi.  I  have  just  been  taking  part  in  the  formal 
opening  of  the  first  cottonseed  oil  mill  that  was  ever  constructed 
and  paid  for  by  members  of  my  race.  This  cottonseed  oil  mill 
cost  practically  $100,000.  This  mill  is  located  in  the  town  of 
Mound  Bayou,  Miss.,  a  community  composed  entirely  of  black 
people,  with  a  black  Mayor,  a  black  Board  of  Aldermen,  a  black 
depot  agent,  black  people  in  charge  of  the  telephone  system — in 
a  word,  it  is  a  self-governing,  self-respecting  negro  town,  with 
a  population  in  and  about  the  town  of  about  7000  people. 

"  There  were  present  at  this  formal  opening  between  eight 
and  ten  thousand  colored  people,  and  on  the  same  grounds  with 
them  were  many  of  the  best  white  people  of  Mississippi  and  Ten- 


SOME  REFLECTED  VIEWS.  145 

nessee,  who  seemed  just  as  proud  of  the  launching  of  this  com 
mercial  enterprise  as  were  the  black  people  themselves. 

"  Starting  with  practically  nothing,  we  now  have  at  Tus- 
kegee  a  student  body  of  about  1600  men  and  women,  gathered 
from  all  parts  of  this  country  and  from  16  foreign  countries, 
and  1 80  instructors  and  helpers.  From  practically  no  property 
to  begin  with,  our  trustees  now  own  and  control  property  at 
Tuskegee  to  the  value  of  more  than  $1,000,000. 

WORK  OF  THE  PARENT  INSTITUTION.! 

"  Men  and  women  trained  at  Tuskegee  have  established  16 
branch  schools,  located  in  various  portions  of  the  South,  which 
are  reproducing  on  a  smaller  scale  the  work  of  the  parent 
institution. 

"  The  work  of  the  educated  negro  in  the  South  is  in  two 
directions.  First,  the  elevation  of  the  negro  race;  second,  the 
conversion  of  the  Southern  white  man  to  the  point  where  he  will 
be  willing,  even  anxious,  to  help  in  the  elevation  of  the  race 
through  education  and  through  a  just  distribution  of  the  public 
school  fund. 

'  The  negro  does  not  ask  aid  in  the  direction  of  providing 
himself  with  the  present  necessities  of  life,  such  as  food,  clothes 
and  shelter.  These,  ever  since  he  became  free,  he  has  supplied 
for  himself  and  it  is  very  seldom  that  in  any  part  of  the  country 
one  finds  a  black  hand  reached  out  from  a  corner  of  a  street 
asking  for  personal  charity. 

"  It  costs  us  to  carry  on  the  work  at  Tuskegee,  with  all  its 
extension  departments,  covering  a  large  portion  of  the  South, 
about  $275,000  a  year.  We  have  an  income  of  about  $100,000 
from  our  endowment,  which  we  can  depend  upon.  Aside  from 
this,  we  have  to  secure  the  other  money  wherever  we  can  get 
it,  in  the  form  of  $50  scholarships. 

10-W 


146  SOME  REFLECTED  VIEWS. 

"  The  result  of  the  work  of  such  institutions  as  Tuskegee — 
and  Tuskegee  is  by  no  means  the  only  school  performing  this 
kind  of  service  for  the  country — has,  in  my  opinion,  amply  justi 
fied  itself  in  the  change  of  white  Southern  opinion  toward  the 
negro,  and  in  the  elevation  of  the  negro  himself. 

"  We  have  laid  a  great  deal  of  stress  from  the  beginning 
upon  the  importance  of  our  people  getting  land  and  tying 
themselves  to  the  soil,  and  this  is  the  doctrine  that  our  graduates 
are  preaching  throughout  the  South.  One  result  of  this  in 
fluence  can  be  seen  in  the  fact  that  while  the  number  of  farmers 
of  the  entire  country  increased  during  the  last  decade  by  nine 
per  cent.,  the  number  of  farmers  in  the  South  increased  by  19 
per  cent.  The  negro  farmers  in  the  South  now  own  20,000,000 
acres  of  land,  a  territory  equal  to  that  of  the  States  of  Vermont, 
New  Hampshire,  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island. 

NEGRO'S  PER  CAPITA  PROPERTY. 

"  In  1 86 1  the  Russian  serfs  were  freed.  When  I  was  in 
Russia  some  months  ago,  I  found  that  in  six  of  the  most  fertile 
provinces  of  western  Russia,  14,000,000  persons  had  accumu 
lated  about  $500,000,000  worth  of  properity,  or  $36  per  capita. 
In  contrast  to  this,  the  negroes  in  the  United  States,  after  fifty 
years  of  freedom  have  accumulated  about  $700,000,000  worth 
of  property,  or  about  $70  per  capita.  In  the  same  Russian 
provinces  only  thirty  per  cent,  of  the  Russian  serfs  are  able  to 
read  and  write.  In  the  United  States,  while  when  Mr.  Lincoln 
freed  us  only  three  per  cent,  could  read  or  write,  to-day  68  per 
cent,  can  read  and  write. 

"  But  the  work  in  the  South  is  far  from  complete.  Race 
prejudice,  ignorance,  degradation  and  poverty  still  hover  over 
and  hold  back  a  large  section  of  that  country." 

One  of  his  last  public  addresses  was  on  the  subject  of  "  The 


SOME  REFLECTED  VIEWS.  147 

Education  of  the  Negro,"  and  was  delivered  before  the 
National  Council,  a  short  time  before  his  death,  when  he  spoke 
as  follows : 

"  A  few  days  ago  I  visited  a  little  colony  of  black  people 
near  Mobile,  Ala.,  several  of  whom  were  born  in  Africa  and 
came  here  on  the  last  slave  ship  to  reach  America.  Several  of 
the  older  people  still  survive  and  tell  interesting  stories  about 
their  early  and  varied  experiences.  A  little  way  from  the 
colony  may  been  seen  the  hulk  of  the  slave  ship  on  which  they 
were  brought  to  this  country. 

AN  ASTONISHING  TRANSFORMATION ! 

"  This  has  occurred  practically  within  a  single  generation. 
What  a  transformation  has  been  wrought  in  my  race  since 
the  landing  of  the  first  slaves  at  Jamestown  and  the  landing  of 
the  last  slaves  at  Mobile.  This  transformation  involves  growth 
in  numbers,  mental  awakening,  self-support,  securing  of  prop 
erty,  moral  and  religious  development,  and  adjustment  of  rela 
tions  between  the  races.  To  what  in  a  single  generation  are  we 
more  indebted  for  this  transformation  in  the  direction  of  a 
higher  civilization  than  the  American  Missionary  Association? 

'  No  one  of  the  religious  organizations  which  have  engaged 
in  the  work  of  educating  the  Negro  has  done  a  more  useful 
work  than  your  association.  You  are  maintaining  more  schools 
for  the  higher  and  secondary  education  of  the  Negro  than  any 
other  board  or  association.  I  have  had  opportunities  to  visit 
practically  every  Negro  institution  in  the  country.  In  so  doing  I 
have  been  very  favorably  impressed  with  the  good  work  which 
educational  institutions  under  the  auspices  of  your  association 
are  doing.  I  have  in  mind  not  only  the  larger  and  more  promi 
nent  schools,  such  as  Fisk  and  Talladega,  but  also  the  smaller 
and  less  well  known  institutions. 


148  SOME  REFLECTED  VIEWS. 

"  Fifty  years  ago  the  education  of  the  Negro  in  the  South 
had  just  begun.  There  were  less  than  100  schools  devoted  to 
this  purpose.  In  1867,  there  were  only  1,839  schools  for  the 
f  reedmen  with  2,087  teachers,  of  whom  699  were  colored.  There 
were  111,442  pupils;  18,758  of  these  people  were  studying  the 
alphabet;  55,163  were  in  spelling  and  easy  reading  lesson 
classes;  42,879  were  learning  to  write;  40,454  were  studying 
arithmetic;  4,661  were  studying  the  higher  branches.  Thirty- 
five  industrial  schools  were  reported,  in  which  there  were  2,- 
124  students  who  were  taught  sewing,  knitting,  straw-braiding, 
repairing  and  making  garments. 

SCHOOL  AND  COLLEGE  ENROLLMENT. 

"  In  1915  there  are  almost  two  million  Negro  children  en 
rolled  in  the  public  schools  of  the  South,  and  over  100,000  in  the 
normal  schools  and  colleges.  The  699  colored  teachers  of  1867 
have  increased  to  over  34,000,  of  whom  3,000  are  teachers  in 
colleges  and  normal  and  industrial  schools. 

"When  the  American  Missionary  Association  began  its 
work  among  the  freedmen  there  were  in  the  South  no  insti 
tutions  for  higher  and  secondary  education  of  the  Negro.  There 
were  only  four  in  the  entire  United  States.  In  1915  there  are 
in  the  South  fifty  colleges  devoted  to  their  training.  There  are 
thirteen  institutions  for  the  education  of  Negro  women.  There 
are  twenty-six  theological  schools  and  departments.  There 
are  three  schools  of  law,  four  of  medicine,  two  of  dentistry, 
three  of  pharmacy,  seventeen  state  agricultural  and  mechani 
cal  colleges  and  over  200  normal  and  industrial  schools. 

''  Fifty  years  ago  the  value  of  the  school  property  used  in 
the  education  of  the  freedman  was  small.  The  value  of  the 
property  now  owned  by  institutions  for  their  secondary  and 
higher  training  is  over  $17,000,000.  Fifty  years  ago  only  a 


SOME  REFLECTED  VIEWS.  149 

few  thousand  dollars  was  being  expended  for  the  education  of 
the  Negroes.  In  1914  over  $4,100,000  was  expended  for  their 
higher  and  industrial  training  and  $9,700,000  in  their  public 
schools. 

"  I  find  that  in  some  instances  there  is  a  belief  that  Negro 
education  has  advanced  far  enough  for  the  various  philanthro 
pic  and  religious  associations  to  gradually  withdraw  their  sup 
port  and  use  their  resources  in  other  directions.  The  truth  of 
the  matter,  however,  is  that  after  fifty  years  there  is  still  as  great 
a  need  for  the  work  of  the  American  Missionary  Association 
and  similiar  organizations  to  assist  in  Negro  education  as  there 
was  immediately  following  emancipation. 

A  LARGER  NON-ATTENDANCE. 

"There  are  about  1,800,000  Negro  children  in  the  South 
enrolled  in  the  public  schools.  This  is  a  large  number,  but  not 
as  large,  however,  as  the  number  not  in  schools.  According 
to  the  United  States  census  reports,  52  per  cent,  of  the  Negro 
children  in  the  South  of  school  age  are  not  attending  school. 
There  are  yet  in  the  South  over  2,000,000  Negroes  who  are 
unable  to  read  or  write.  Almost  1,000,000  of  these  are  of 
school  age. 

'  Although  there  are  perhaps  100,000  Negro  students  en 
rolled  in  normal  schools  and  colleges,  statistics  show  that  only 
about  one- fourth  of  these  are  doing  work  above  the  elementary 
grades.  And  only  about  one-third  are  receiving  industrial  edu 
cation.  In  the  fifty  colleges  devoted  to  Negro  education  there 
are,  according  to  statistics,  less  than  3,000  students  who  are 
doing  work  of  collegiate  grade. 

There  is  sometimes  much  talk  about  the  inferiority  of 
the  Negro.  In  practice,  however,  the  idea  appears  to  be  that 
he  is  a  sort  of  superman.  He  is  expected  with  about  one-fifth 


150  SOME  REFLECTED  VIEWS. 

or  one-tenth  of  what  the  whites  receive  for  their  education  to 
make  as  much  progress  as  they  are  making.  Taking  the  south 
ern  states  as  a  whole,  about  $10.23  Per  capita  is  spent  in  educat 
ing  the  average  white  boy  or  girl,  and  the  sum  of  $2.82  per  cap 
ita  in  educating  the  average  black  child. 

INCREASED  EXPENDITURE  NECESSARY. 

"  In  order  to  furnish  the  Negro  with  educational  facilities 
so  that  the  2,000,000  children  of  school  age  now  out  of  school 
and  the  1,000,000  who  are  unable  to  read  or  write,  can  have 
the  proper  chance  in  life,  it  will  be  necessary  to  increase  the 
$9,000,000  now  being  expended  annually  for  Negro  public  school 
education  in  the  South  to  about  $25,000,000  or  $30,000,000  an 
nually. 

"  In  order  to  give  the  Negro  youth  in  the  South  adequate 
facilities  for  obtaining  thorough  training  in  normal  and  college 
courses,  it  will  be  necessary  to  increase  the  little  more  than 
$4,000,000  now  being  expended  annually  for  Negro  higher  and 
secondary  education  to  $10,000,000  or  more.  In  other 
words,  Negro  higher  and  secondary  education  needs  about 
$6,000,000  more  annually  than  it  is  now  receiving. 

"  At  the  present  rate,  it  is  taking  not  a  few  days  or  a  few 
years,  but  a  century  or  more  to  get  Negro  education  on  a  plane  at 
all  similar  to  that  on  which  the  education  of  the  whites  now  is. 
To  bring  Negro  education  up  where  it  ought  to  be  it  will  take 
the  combined  and  increased  efforts  of  all  the  agencies  now  en 
gaged  in  this  work.  The  North,  the  South,  the  religious  asso 
ciations,  the  educational  boards,  white  people  and  black  people, 
all  will  have  to  co-operate  in  a  great  effort  for  this  common  end." 

Always  Dr.  Washington  had  a  specific  message  to  deliver 
and  he  avoided  controversy  wherever  possible.  When  ques 
tioned  pointedly  about  any  subject  which  he  did  not  care  to  dis- 


SOME  REFLECTED  VIEWS.  151 

cuss  he  had  a  way  of  putting  an  end  to  further  questioning 
without  being  discourteous  or  abrupt. 

Once  after  Colonel  Roosevelt  started  on  his  Independent 
Bull  Moose  campaign,  Dr.  Washington  was  asked  if  he  thought 
as  much  of  the  ex-President  as  formerly.  "  I  am  sorry,"  he  said, 
"  but  you  may  just  leave  the  answer  to  that  question  a  blank." 

Again  when  Colonel  Roosevelt  failed  of  election,  Dr.  Wash 
ington  was  asked  what  he  thought  of  the  eampaign  and  its 
result  and  he  gave  this  homily: 

"  When  a  man  goes  hunting  for  possum  in  the  South  he 
uses  a  possum  dog;  when  he  goes  hunting  for  rabbits  he  takes 
a  rabbit  dog.  Colonel  Roosevelt  went  hunting  for  possum  with 
a  rabbit  dog." 

WASHINGTON'S  PERTINENT  SUGGESTION. 

When  the  question  of  "  the  high  cost  of  living  "  seemed  to 
be  the  burning  issue  with  the  people,  Dr.  Washington  was  asked 
about  its  solution  by  the  negroes.  "  There  need  be  no  such 
problem  for  them,"  he  said,  "  if  they  will  but  return  to  the 
farm." 

While,  as  it  has  been  noted  in  his  public  addresses,  Dr. 
Washington  felt  that  the  time  which  was  given  him  to  make 
his  appeals  to  the  public  was  too  limited  to  permit  of  his  indulg 
ing  at  any  great  length  in  story  telling1,  or  recounting  his  per 
sonal  experiences,  he  possessed  a  fund  of  anecdotes  and  jokes 
which  he  took  great  pleasure  in  telling  at  opportune  times. 
Occasionally  he  used  them  to  illustrate  points  in  his  writings, 
or  to  make  his  purpose  clear  in  conversation. 

In  showing  the  conditions  in  that  territory  of  the  South  in 
which  he  began  his  labors,  where  neither  the  negro  nor  the  land 
was  developed,  he  made  strikingly  apparent  the  failure  of  his 
people  and  those  around  him  to  take  advantage  of  the  natural 


152  SOME  REFLECTED  VIEWS. 

advantages  by  telling  the  story  of  a  Southern  funeral,  which 
is  about  as  follows : 

The  grave  was  dug  in  a  beautiful  pine  forest,  but  the  pine 
:offin  in  which  the  body  lay  came  from  Cincinnati.  Hard  woods 
grew  nearby,  but  the  wagon  on  which  the  body  was  drawn  came 
down  from  South  Bend,  Ind.,  and  the  mule  that  drew  the  wagon 
came  from  Missouri.  Minerals  were  in  the  ground  near  the 
cemetery,  but  the  metal  picks  and  shovels  that  turned  over  the 
fresh  earth  came  from  Pittsburgh ;  the  handles  from  Baltimore. 
The  dead  man's  shoes  came  from  Lynn,  Mass.,  his  suit  from 
New  York ,  his  collars  and  shirts  from  Troy,  and  the  only  thing 
supplied  by  the  county  with  its  wealth  of  natural  resources  were 
the  corpse,  the  hole  in  the  ground  and  the  minister,  who  was  an 
importation. 

WASHINGTON'S  HUMOROUS  ANECDOTE. 

One  of  his  famous  anecdotes  related  to  his  early  struggles 
at  Tuskegee  and  his  efforts  to  secure  the  support  of  his  students 
in  his  plans  to  create  a  real  educational  institution.  Dr.  Wash 
ington  related  with  much  effect  how  an  ancient  colored  man  ex 
pressed  amazement  when  he  was  requested  to  make  a  dilapi 
dated  henhouse  serve  as  a  recitation  room  by  cleaning  it. 
"  Yo'  sholy  ain't  gwine  clar  a  henhouse  out  in  the  day 
time?" 

It  was  Dr.  Washington's  custom  to  speak  frankly  about  the 
errors  of  his  race  during  the  reconstruction  period  and  he  drew 
toward  himself  some  shafts  for  his  criticism  of  the  ministry  dur 
ing  this  time.  At  a  meeting  of  the  National  Education  Associa 
tion,  when  complimented  for  his  eloquence,  the  negro  educator 
told  of  an  old-time  Southern  preacher  of  the  African  persuasion 
who  was  not  too  eloquent. 

"  One  morning  when  the  minister  was  preaching,"  Dr. 


SOME  REFLECTED  VIEWS.  153 

Washington  said,  "  a  head  was  poked  through  the  vestry  door, 
and  a  low  tremulous  voice  announced," 

"  '  Parson,  de  chuch  am  buhning.' 

"  '  All  right,  Brother  Spriggins,'  the  minister  replied,  '  Ah 
will  retiah.  Perhaps  you'd  bettah  wake  de  congregation  up.' 

Another  one  of  his  yarns,  based  on  his  experience  with  a 
venerable  negro  while  touring  the  Black  Belt  in  the  interest 
of  his  institution,  had  to  do  with  his  questioning  the  aged  black 
man  about  his  history.  The  negro  had  been  born  in  slavery 
in  Virginia  and  sold  into  Alabama. 

"  How  many  others  were  sold  at  the  same  time?"  inquired 
Dr.  Washington. 

"  Five,"  promptly  answered  the  colored  man,  "  myself,  my 
brother  and  three  mules." 

LABOR  DIGNIFIED  IN  COMMON  OCCUPATIONS. 

One  of  his  most  striking  "  word-pictures  "  is  that  which  he 
used  on  several  occasions  to  show  the  necessity  for  training  the 
negro  to  put  brains  into  the  common  occupations  of  life  and  to 
dignify  labor. 

"  A  few  years  ago,"  he  was  wont  to  say,  "  nearly  every 
barber  shop  was  owned  and  operated  by  a  negro;  but  the  white 
man  stepped  in.  He  applied  modern  methods,  gave  painstaking 
care  to  detail,  improved  and  progressed  until  he  has,  not  a  barber 
shop,  but  a  'tonsorial  parlor/  The  old  Negro  woman  with  her 
wash  tubs  and  bare  arms  is  being  replaced  by  the  white  man 
with  his  steam  laundry;  the  ancient  colored  man  who  wielded 
grasshook  and  kept  the  flower  beds  and  lawn  in  trim,  has  no 
standing  with  the  white  man,  who,  possessing  a  knowledge 
of  surveying  and  the  plotting  of  land  coupled  with  a  familiarity 
with  botany,  is  a  landscape  gardener." 

Included  among  the  many  writings  of  Dr.  Washington  are 


154  SOME  REFLECTED  VIEWS. 

the  works  "  Sowing  and  Reaping,"  "  Up  from  Slavery,"  "  The 
Future  of  the  American  Negro,"  "  Character  Building,"  "  The 
Story  of  My  Life  and  Work,"  "  Working  with  Hands,"  "  Tus- 
kegee  and  Its  People,"  "  Life  of  Frederick  Douglass,"  "  The 
Negro  in  Business  "  and  "  The  Story  of  the  Negro." 


CHAPTER  X. 
A  MAN  AMONG  MEN. 

ONE  of  the  great  secrets  of  Dr.  Washington's  success  was 
his  ability  to  interest  the  young  people  in  his  work 
and  by  his  methods  to  show  men  that  he  was  able  to 
do  so.  Youth  is  an  egotist  who  does  not  want  to  be  told  what 
to  do.  He  does  not  care  for  preachments.  It  is  his  part  to 
attain  success,  happiness  and  enjoyment  for  himself.  The 
"  Will  oj  the  Wisp  "  floats  before  him.  What  he  wants  to 
know  is  how  to  overtake  it. 

Youth  wants  to  select  the  material  from  which  to  con 
struct  the  road  over  which  he  intends  to  make  his  way.  He 
may  not  have  the  power  to  visualize,  but  he  will  appeciate  it  if 
you  will  help  him  by  painting  a  picture  of  conditions  so  that 
he  can  see  tbem.  The  easiest  way  to  illustrate  things  for  him 
is  by  the  use  of  objects  to  make  truths  obvious  by  comparisons 
or  relation  of  subjects. 

As  in  many  other  educational  matters  Dr.  Washington 
was  a  pioneer  in  this  method  of  training.  He  convinced  his 
students  that  farming  was  better  than  laboring  without  fixed 
purpose  or  direction,  by  making  a  farm  of  an  improved  type 
44  under  their  very  noses."  His  students  saw  the  truth  of  his 
assertions.  Likewise  he  proved  the  efficacy  of  his  methods  to 
the  biggest  men  of  the  country  by  showing  them  the  results. 
His  illustrations  were  concrete. 

The  effectiveness  of  his  methods  in  reaching  the  big  men 
of  the  world,  who  have  little  time  for  the  mere  theorist,  has 
always  been  recognized.  In  one  photograph  of  notables  in 
attendance  at  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  celebration  of 
Tuskegee  Institute  are  to  be  found  among  others  Charles  W. 

155 


156  A  MAN  AMONG  MEN. 

Eliot,  president  of  Harvard  University ;  Andrew  Carnegie, 
Robert  C.  Ogden,  Rev.  Lyman  Abbot,  venerable  editor  of  "The 
Outlook,"  and  J.  G.  Phelps  Stokes.  The  trustees  of  Tuskegee 
Institute  at  the  time  of  Dr.  Washington's  death  were  Seth 
Low,  chairman,  New  York ;  Wright  W.  Campbell,  vice  chair 
man,  Tuskegee ;  Charles  W.  Hare,  Tuskegee ;  Randall  O. 
Simpson,  Furman,  Ala. ;  Warren  Logan,  Tuskegee ;  Andrew 
J.  Wilborn,  Tuskegee ;  Victor  H.  Taulane,  Montgomery,  Ala.; 
William  G.  Willcox,  New  York ;  Belton  Gilreath,  Birming 
ham,  Ala. ;  Frank  Trumbull,  New  York ;  Charles  E.  Mason, 
Boston ;  Theodore  Roosevelt,  Oyster  Bay,  New  York ;  Julius 
Rosenwald,  Chicago  ;  George  McAneny,  New  York ;  Edgar  A. 
Bancroft,  Chicago ;  Alexander  Mann,  Boston. 

MOVEMENT  SANCTIONED  BY  FAMOUS  MEN. 

When  the  movement  was  started  to  secure  an  endowment 
for  Tuskegee  about  1898  and  a  public  meeting  was  held  in 
New  York  city  late  in  1899,  such  men  as  former  Vice-President 
Levi  P.  Morton,  Morris  K.  Jessup,  Carl  Schurz,  Walter  Page, 
C.  P.  Huntington,  R.  W.  Gilder,  LeGrand  B.  Cannon,  August 
Belmont,  Jacob  H.  Schiff,  John  L.  Cadwallader,  John  D.  Rocke 
feller  and  George  Foster  Peabody  sanctioned  the  movement 
by  their  presence.  Former  President  Cleveland,  who  had  also 
been  invited  to  preside  at  the  gathering,  sent  a  strong  letter  of 
appeal  in  which  he  lauded  Dr.  Washington  and  the  movement 
he  was  fostering.  As  the  direct  result  of  the  meeting  some 
thing  less  than  $100,000  was  raised,  including  $50,000  previ 
ously  referred  to  as  a  gift  from  C.  P.  Huntington. 

In  this  connection  the  opinion  of  President  Cleveland,  who 
visited  Tuskegee,  is  worthy  of  consideration,  coming  as  it  did 
from  a  representative  of  the  Democratic  Party.  Among  other 
things  he  once  wrote : 


A  MAN  AMONG  MEN.  157 

"  It  has  frequently  occurred  to  rne  that  in  the  present  con 
dition  of  our  free  Negro  population  in  the  South,  and  the 
incidents  often  surrounding  them,  we  cannot  absolutely  cal 
culate  that  the  future  of  our  nation  will  always  be  free  from 
dangers  and  convulsions,  perhaps  not  less  lamentable  than  those 
which  resulted  from  the  enslaved  Negroes.  Then  the  cause  of 
trouble  was  the  injustice  of  the  enslavement  of  four  millions  ; 
but  now  we  have  to  deal  with  eight  millions,  who,  though  free, 
and  invested  with  all  the  rights  of  citizenship,  still  constitute, 
in  the  body  politic,  a  mass  largely  affected  with  ignorance, 
slothfulness  and  a  resulting  lack  of  appreciation  of  the  obliga 
tions  of  that  citizenship. 

IMPORTANCE  OF  IMMEDIATE  ACTION. 

tl  I  am  certain  that  these  conditions  cannot  be  neglected, 
and  convinced  that  the  mission  marked  out  by  the  Tuskegee 
Institute  presents  the  best  hope  of  their  amelioration,  and  that 
every  consideration  makes  immediate  action  important,  whether 
based  upon  Christian  benevolence,  a  love  of  country,  or  selfish 
material  interests." 

Another  convincing  evidence  of  the  regard  held  for  Dr. 
Washington  by  men  is  found  in  the  honor  accorded  him  on  his 
return  from  Europe,  when  he  was  especially  invited  to  visit 
Charleston,  West  Virginia,  where  he  was  tendered  a  public 
reception  at  which  Governor  George  W.  Atkinson  presided. 
It  was  in  the  interest  of  Charleston  he  had  stumped  the  State 
to  secure  the  location  of  the  State  capital  within  that  muncipal- 
ity.  The  officials  of  the  city  of  Charleston,  the  newspapers, 
financiers,  business  men,  ministers  and  school  authorities 
joined  in  the  invitation  and  participated  in  the  celebration 
attendant  upon  Dr.  Washington's  visit. 

Subsequently  he  was  tendered  receptions  at  many  other 


158  A  MAN  AMONG  MEN. 

points,  including  Atlanta,  Montgomery  and  New  Orleans-  At 
this  time  lie  was  in  the  height  of  his  power  and  many  of  his 
utterances  during  the  ensuing  years,  in  the  light  of  conditions, 
may  now  be  looked  upon  as  showing  his  fearlessness  and 
strength  of  purpose.  In  one  of  these  southern  addresses  he 
said,  among  other  things  : 

A  HUMILIATING  COMPARISON. 

"  To  elevate  the  ignorant  and  degraded  in  Africa,  China, 
Japan  and  India,  three  denominations  in  the  South  give  annual 
ly  about  $544,000,  but  to  elevate  the  ignorant,  the  degraded  at 
your  doors,  to  protect  your  families,  to  lessen  your  taxes,  to 
increase  their  earning  power ;  in  a  word,  to  Christianize  and 
elevate  the  people  at  your  very  side,  upon  whom,  in  a  large 
measure,  your  safety  and  property  depend,  these  same  denom 
inations  give  $21,000 — $21,000  for  the  benighted  at  your  doors, 
$544,000  for  the  benighted  abroad.  That  thirty-five  years 
after  slavery  and  a  fratricidal  war  the  master  should  give  even 
$21,000  through  the  medium  of  the  church  for  the  elevation  of 
his  former  slave  means  much.  Nor  would  I  have  one  dollar 
less  to  go  to  the  foreign  fields,  but  I  would  plead  with  all  the 
earnestness  of  my  soul  that  the  Christian  South  give  increased 
attention  to  the  8,000,000  of  Negroes  by  whom  it  is  surrounded. 
All  this  has  a  most  vital  and  direct  relation  to  the  work  of  this 
Industrial  convention.  Every  dollar  that  goes  into  the  edu 
cation  of  the  Negro  is  an  interest-bearing  dollar." 
On  a  subsequent  occasion  he  pointedly  said : 
"  Eighty-five  per  cent,  of  my  people  in  the  Gulf  States  are  on 
the  plantations  in  the  country  districts,  where  a  large  majority 
are  still  in  ignorance,  without  habits  of  thrift  and  economy; 
are  in  debt,  mortgaging  their  crops  to  secure  food,  paying  or 
attempting  to  pay  a  rate  of  interest  ranging  from  twenty  to 


A  MAN  AMONG  MEN.  159 

forty  per  cent. ;  living  in  one  room  cabins  on  rented  land,  in  dis 
tricts  where  schools  are  in  session  but  three  or  four  months  in 
the  year,  taught  in  places  that  have  little  resemblance  to  school 
houses. 

"  What  state  of  morality  or  practical  Christianity  can  you 
expect  when  as  many  as  six,  eight  and  even  ten  cook,  eat,  sleep, 
get  sick  and  die  in  one  room  ? 

"  What  is  needed  is  strong  Christian  leaders  who  will  go 
among  our  people  and  show  them  how  to  lift  themselves  up. 

FAILS  TO  UTILIZE  RESULTS  OF  LABOR. 

"  If  in  the  providence  of  God  the  Negro  got  any  good  out 
of  slavery,  he  got  the  habit  of  work.  Whether  the  call  for  labor 
comes  from  the  cotton  fields  of  Mississippi,  the  rice  swamps  of 
the  Carolinas,  or  the  sugar  bottoms  of  Louisiana,  the  Negro  an 
swers  the  call.  Yes,  toil  is  the  badge  of  all  his  tribe,  but  the 
trouble  centers  here :  By  reason  of  his  ignorance  and  want  of 
training  he  does  not  know  how  to  utilize  the  results  of  his  labor. 
My  people  do  not  need  charity,  neither  do  they  ask  that  charity 
be  scattered  among  them.  Very  seldom  in  any  part  of  this 
country  do  you  see  a  black  hand  reached  out  for  charity;  but 
they  do  ask  that  through  Lincoln  and  Biddle  and  Scotia  and 
Hampton  and  Tuskegee  you  send  them  leaders  to  guide  and 
stimulate  them  till  they  are  able  to  walk. 

"  But  the  duty  is  not  entirely  toward  the  Negro.  The  duty 
of  the  Church  is  also  to  the  millions  of  poor  people  of  the  South. 

"  When  you  help  the  poor  whites,  you  help  the  Negro.  So 
long  as  the  poor  whites  are  ignorant,  so  long  there  will  be  crime 
against  the  Negro  and  civilization." 

How  deeply  rooted  in  Dr.  Washington's  mind  was  the  idea 
that  the  training  of  the  negro  should  be  fundamental  and  that 
there  be  an  entire  absence  of  ostentation  is  found  in  the  regula- 


160  A  MAN  AMONG  MEN. 

tions  which  were  formulated  for  the  admittance  of  students  to 
his  institution.  One  significant  paragraph  in  the  Institute  cata 
logue  tells  the  story.  It  reads,  referring  to  the  admission  of 
young  women : 

"  They  should  not  bring  dresses  made  of  silk,  satin,  velvet 
and  fine  laces,  or  valuable  jewelry,  watches,  etc."  So,  also,  any 
tendency  on  the  part  of  the  male  students  to  resort  to  the  use  of 
weapons  in  anger  was  guarded  against  by  a  provision  that  no 
student  might  have  in  his  possession  or  bring  into  the  institution 
any  firearm  or  weapon. 

WHAT  WASHINGTON  MIGHT  HAVE   BEEN. 

It  is,  in  fact,  almost  impossible  to  review  the  life  work  of 
Dr.  Washington  without  recognizing  the  fact  that,  had  his 
skin  not  been  black,  he  would  have  been  a  great  leader  among 
white  men,  and  who  knows  to  what  eminent  pinnacle  he  might 
have  risen.  It  is  a  matter  of  record,  for  instance,  that  Tuske- 
gee  was  the  first  school  of  recognized  high  literary  grade  to 
introduce  Domestic  Science  as  part  of  the  regular  curriculum, 
with  the  consequent  establishment  of  a  special  building  or  de 
partment  equipped  for  experimental  housekeeping,  with  practice 
cottage  where  the  young  women  taking  the  course  are  compelled 
to  actually  live  and  keep  house  on  a  specific  "  allowance  "  or 
fixed  weekly  budget  for  a  regular  period  of  time.  And  there 
are  no  "  maids  "  to  perform  the  arduous  duties.  Everything 
from  the  "  washing  "  to  "  firemaking  "  is  included  in  their  ex 
perience. 

Again  Dr.  Washington's  advanced  ideas  are  shown  in  the 
establishment  of  the  horticultural  courses  for  women.  On  his 
visit  to  Europe  with  Mrs.  Washington  the  negro  educator  found 
that  women  were  taking  up  agriculture  and  horticulture.  He 
promptly  saw  in  this  work  an  opportunity  for  the  young  colored 


A  MAN  AMONG  MEN  161 

women  of  the  South,  and  a  class  was  started  in  connection  with 
the  Agricultural  Department  at  Tuskegee.  Thousands  of 
women  are  now  studying  these  pursuits  in  the  universities 
and  schools  all  over  the  country,  and  much  was  made  of  the 
establishment  of  a  Horticultural  School  for  Women  at  Ambler, 
Pa.,  about  the  year  1909,  but  at  that  time  Dr.  Washington's 
institution  was  teaching  its  young  colored  women  students  all 
about  vegetable  seeds  and  their  planting,  pruning  trees,  as  well 
as  how  to  raise  poultry,  care  for  the  dairy  and  raising  bees. 

It  is  only  by  comparison  that  we  learn,  and  so  these  points 
are  correlated  and  presented  merely  as  a  basis  for  judging  the 
progress  indicated  by  results  in  material  things,  which  Dr. 
Washington  obtained  as  a  negro  and  for  the  negro. 


n-w 


CHAPTER  XL 
THE  MAN  OF  TUSKEGEE  AT  HOME. 

JUST  as  he  was  big,  impressive  and  dignified  in  the  position 
he  filled  in  the  public  eye,  so  was  Booker  T.  Washington, 
the  simple,  big-hearted,  sincere  man  in  the  home.     In 
his  shirt  sleeves  about  the  home,  feeding  the  hogs  or  chickens, 
hoeing  the  garden,  or  giving  his  time  to  his  children,  Booker  T. 
Washington  was  fully  as  interesting  and  delightful  a  character 
as  the  Dr.  Washington  of  the  lecture  platform  who  enthused  his 
hearers  with  his  stories  about  Tuskegee. 

The  few  who  knew  him  intimately  paint  a  picture  of  him 
in  his  home  which  is  not  familiar  to  the  public,  for  Dr.  Washing 
ton  was  one  of  those  rare  individuals,  who  the  more  he  accom 
plished  the  less  he  cared  to  say  about  himself  and  his  personal  af 
fairs.  Even  in  the  stirring  stories  of  his  life  and  of  his  work, 
which  he  gave  to  the  public,  he  made  no  mention  of  many  inci 
dents  which  helped  to  mark  him  in  the  minds  of  men  as  a  great 
leader. 

Booker  T.  Washington  loved  his  home,  his  hogs,  his  chick 
ens,  his  flowers — everything  that  goes  to  make  a  good  home; 
and  this,  of  course,  included  his  family.  The  family  consisted 
of  Mrs.  Washington,  nee  Margaret  James  Murray,  a  graduate 
of  Fisk  University,  and  teacher  at  Tuskegee,  whom  he  married 
in  1893;  his  daughter  Portia  W.,  Booker  T.,  Jr.,  E.  Davidson, 
as  well  as  two  adopted  children  of  Mrs.  Washington's  brother, 
Laura  and  Tom,  these  latter  being  taken  into  the  family  when 
his  children  were  almost  grown.  To  those  who  witnessed  the 
pleasure  that  he  found  in  his  home  environment  it  was  regarded 
as  a  great  pity  that  such  a  sympathetic,  human  individual  should 

162 


THE  MAN  OF  TUSKEGEE  AT  HOME.        163 

not  be  permitted,  because  of  his  arduous  duties,  to  spend  more 
of  his  time  in  his  home. 

When  the  crucial  period  in  the  history  of  Tuskegee  was 
passed  and  the  institution  was  somewhat  entrenched,  Dr.  Wash 
ington  and  his  family  of  three  small  children  lived  in  a  modest 
story  and  a  half  cottage.  It  was  one  of  the  cottages  provided 
by  the  institution  for  the  use  of  members  of  the  faculty  and 
teachers,  and  there  was  no  provision  for  entertaining.  The 
school  was  gaining  prestige  and  attracting  attention,  and  as  a 
matter  of  necessity  it  was  urged  that  the  principal,  Dr.  Wash 
ington — ought  to  be  so  housed  that  he  could  entertain  such 
friends  of  the  school  as  he  desired,  who  might  visit  Tuskegee. 

FRIENDS  BUILD  HIM  A  HOME. 

Friends  of  Dr.  Washington  and  the  school  then  built  for 
him  a  home  in  keeping  with  the  position  which  he  held.  It  was 
a  convenient,  attractive  structure,  with  plenty  of  rooms,  well 
but  quietly  furnished.  Here  with  his  family  he  found  his 
greatest  joys  during  the  closing  days  of  existence.  Never  were 
the  duties  of  the  great  institution  he  reared  too  heavy  to  permit 
him  to  give  attention  to  his  children  when  he  was  at  home. 
They  were  given  a  most  rigid  training,  but  not  a  training  marjced 
by  harshness. 

To  those  who  were  privileged  to  penetrate  the  privacy  of  the 
Washington  home  in  the  early  days  the  children's  hour  provided 
a  period  of  delightful  enterainment.  After  dinner  the  family 
would  retire  to  the  living  room,  where  by  the  fireside  Dr.  Wash 
ington  would  tell  old  plantation  stories  while  the  children  sat  on 
the  floor.  Teachers,  too,  would  join  the  circle  and  old  plantation 
melodies  would  be  sung.  Dr.  Washington  loved  these  old  songs 
and  they  have  played  an  important  part  in  developing  sentiment 
at  Tuskegee  Institute. 


164        THE  MAN  OF  TUSKEGEE  AT  HOME. 

In  the  chapel  at  the  school  the  choir  of  upward  of  a  hundred 
voices  would  sing  them  as  only  Southern  darkies  can  sing  them, 
and  on  many  occasions  a  quartette  of  singers  would  interpret 
the  spirit  of  Tuskegee  through  their  songs  on  the  public  plat 
form  with  Dr.  Washington,  who  always  felt  that  such  a  dis 
tinctive  and  delightful  feature  of  the  old  life  among  the  slaves 
should  not  be  permitted  to  die. 

FOR  WASHINGTON  S  EXCLUSIVE  USE. 

The  larger  home  of  Dr.  Washington,  provided  to  measure 
up  to  the  standards  of  the  great  institution  he  was  building, 
was  erected  on  a  piece  of  land  adjoining  the  now  spacious  train 
ing  field,  and  within  a  short  distance  of  the  very  center  of  the 
school  life,  or  Tuskegee  Institute  community.  The  ground  in 
the  rear  of  the  house  was  designed  for  the  exclusive  use  of  Dr. 
Washington.  It  was  his  "  garden  of  love."  Here  he  raised 
magnificent  Plymouth  Rocks,  Brahmas  and  other  fowl,  ducks 
and  pigeons  and  full-blooded  swine,  all  kept  in  fine  pens  and 
runways;  and  cultivated  flowers,  fresh  greens  and  vegetables, 
largely  as  a  matter  of  personal  enjoyment  and  recreation. 

Dr.  Washington  always  declared  that  one  of  the  most  im 
portant  lessons  he  learned  at  Hampton  Institute  was  the  value 
of  keeping  fine  horses  and  cattle,  and  he  never  neglected  the 
opportunity  to  provide  fine  stock  at  Tuskegee  for  breeding  and 
study  purposes,  nor  for  his  own  purposes.  Dr.  Washington 
had  a  liking  for  hogs — in  fact  the  raising  of  full-blooded  hogs 
was  one  of  his  hobbies — and  Tuskegee  has  been  famous  for  its 
fine  Berkshires. 

It  mattered  not  what  the  conditions,  nor  how  pressed  he  was, 
Dr.  Washington  never  failed  when  at  home  to  give  a  few  min 
utes  to  his  poultry,  stock  and  garden  in  the  morning.  Little 
difference  what  hour  at  night  he  reached  home  from  his  many 


THE  MAN  OF  TUSKEGEE  AT  HOME.        165 

trips,  nor  how  late  he  retired,  he  was  "  on  the  job  "  promptly  at 
seven  o'clock  ready  to  "  do  his  chores/'  There  were  students 
about  the  place  ready  to  serve  and  do  his  bidding — anxious  in 
fact  to  do  so — but  he  performed  them  himself.  He  would 
permit  no  one  to  feed  his  chickens,  and  their  eggs  were  as 
precious  to  him,  almost,  as  diamonds.  These  he  gathered  with 
delight. 

"  When  I  am  home  I  find  a  way  by  rising  in  the  morn 
ing  to  spend  at  least  half  an  hour  in  my  garden  or  with  my  fowls, 
pigs  or  cows,"  he  explained.  "  I  like  to  find  the  new  eggs  each 
morning;  and  I  am  selfish  enough  not  to  want  any  one  else  to  do 
this  work  for  me.  As  with  growing  plants,  there  is  a  sense  of 
freshness,  newness  and  something  quite  restful  about  finding 
newly  laid  eggs.  I  begin  the  day  by  seeing  how  many  eggs 
I  can  find,  or  how  many  little  chicks  are  just  beginning  to  peep 
through  their  shells/' 

HIS  FAVORITE  ANIMAL. 

His  hogs  were  a  source  of  great  delight  to  him.  On  one 
occasion  he  wrote  that  he  did  not  know  just  how  his  taste  would 
strike  his  readers,  but  he  felt  that  the  hog  could  be  regarded 
as  his  favorite  animal.  Every  morning  he  would  proceed  to  the 
pig  pen  and  feed  his  swine,  and  when  on  a  tour  of  inspection  he 
would  give  a  great  deal  of  attention  to  the  hogs,  of  which 
there  were  a  large  number  on  the  school  farm.  He  was  also 
quite  fond  of  horses  and  usually  made  these  tours  on  horseback. 

Had  he  been  so  disposed  Dr.  Washington  might  have  made 
himself  famous  as  a  raconteur,  as  his  life  was  filled  with  inci 
dents  that  furnished  foundation  for  wonderful  stories.  Every 
now  and  then  some  experience  would  carry  him  back  to  the 
days  of  his  early  struggle  and  he  would  tell  some  interesting 
:tale  that  threw  a  new  light  on  his  life,  though  he  usually  avoided 


166        THE  MAN  OF  TUSKEGEE  AT  HOME. 

the  use  of  story-telling  as  a  means  of  interesting  his  hearers  on 
the  lecture  platform. 

On  one  occasion  his  visit  to  the  pigsty  caused  him  to  re 
mark  : 

"  It  was  the  custom  on  the  plantation  where  I  was  born 
to  boil  the  Indian  corn  that  was  fed  to  the  cows  and  pigs.  At 
times  when  I  had  failed  to  get  any  breakfast  I  would  go  to  the 
place  where  the  sow  and  pigs  were  fed  and  make  my  breakfast 
from  the  boiled  corn.  Sometimes  I  would  seek  the  place  where 
the  mash  was  being  prepared  for  the  cattle  and  get  my  share 
before  the  cows  and  pigs  got  theirs." 

READ  A  PASSAGE  FROM  THE  BIBLE. 

When  time  permitted  after  feeding  his  chickens  and  stock  at 
his  Tuskegee  home,  he  would  wield  the  hoe  and  pull  weeds  until 
Mrs.  Washington  reminded  him  that  his  work  outdoors  must 
cease.  "  Breakfast  was  served."  The  meal  was  devoid  of 
formality,  though  Dr.  Washington  frequently  read  a  passage 
from  the  Bible  or  some  favorite  book  and  offered  a  brief  prayer. 
Though  Mrs.  Washington  is  the  "  mother  of  the  young  women ): 
struggling  at  Tuskegee — Dean  of  the  Women's  Department — 
talk  of  school  work  was  tabooed  at  meal  time  in  the  Washington 
home. 

As  soon  as  breakfast  was  over  Dr.  Washington  proceeded 
to  the  Administration  Building  and  Mrs.  Washington  to  her 
desk  in  the  Girls'  Building.  Luncheon  was  served  in  the  Wash 
ington  home  at  midday  and  dinner  promptly  at  six.  When  at 
home  Dr.  Washington  seldom  found  an  uninterrupted  evening, 
but  he  usually  found  time  to  enjoy  a  few  minutes  with  the 
children. 

Sometimes  Dr.  Washington  would  take  a  gun  and  go  on  a 
hunting  trip  through  the  woods,  but  he  was  not  what  was  re- 


THE  MAN  OF  TUSKEGEE  AT  HOME.   167 

garded  as  a  hunting  enthusiast  or  marksman,  and  the  attraction 
for  the  sport  seemed  to  be  largely  born  of  his  love  for  the  woods, 
the  animals  and  the  outdoor  life. 

A  HARD  TASKMASTER. 

While  intensely  human  and  deeply  sympathetic,  Dr.  Wash 
ington  was  an  extremely  hard  taskmaster,  not  perhaps  harsh, 
but  he  worked  hard  himself  and  he  wanted  and  expected  every 
body  else  to  work  as  hard  as  he  did.  He  was  so  anxious  to 
have  his  students  succeed  that  he  seemed  to  feel  hurt  when 
there  was  anything  like  lack  of  interest  on  the  part  of  any  stu 
dent  in  his  work.  He  just  could  not  understand  why  anyone 
would  not  work  to  improve  himself  when  opportunity  presented, 
and  yet  he  extended  the  helping  hand  and  gave  constructive 
aid  to  thousands.  The  seriousness  with  which  he  viewed  the 
necessity  for  hard  work  and  study  is  indicated  in  the  rules  and 
regulations  laid  down  for  the  students  at  Tuskegee.  They  were 
subject  to  strict,  almost  military  discipline,  the  regulations  pro 
viding  for  "  regular  bathing,"  attention  to  clothing,  and  similar 
matters. 

The  students  were  subjected  to  inspection  and  were  ex 
pected  to  not  have  a  button  missing  from  their  clothing.  In  the 
dining  room  the  young  women  and  the  young  men  sat  down  to 
gether,  the  young  men  on  one  side  of  the  long  tables,  the  young 
women  on  the  other. 

No  matter  where  they  were  at  work,  whether  in  the  fields, 
in  the  stables,  or  a  building  in  course  of  construction,  in  the 
blacksmith  shop,  or  in  the  laboratories,  the  students  were  ex 
pected  to  present  themselves  with  hands  washed,  faces  cleaned 
and  hair  brushed  when  they  came  to  dinner.  And  they  were 
given  a  limited  period  in  which  to  make  their  toilet.  Moreover 
they  were  compelled  to  pay  that  deference  to  ladies  which  is  al- 


168        THE  MAN  OF  TUSKEGEE  AT  HOME. 

ways  expected  of  gentlemen — they  waited  standing  until  the 
young  women  were  seated  before  they  took  their  chairs. 

A  PERFECT  GOOD  SPIRIT  PREVAILED. 

And  the  young  women  acted  as  hostesses.  There  was  noth 
ing  stiff  or  cold  about  the  atmosphere.  A  perfect  good  spirit 
and  understanding  prevailed,  but  every  student  was  compelled 
to  observe  good  form  and  manners.  These  things  reflected 
his  personal  views  as  to  what  was  needed  in  training  young 
people  who  had  been  raised  in  an  environment  which  in  most 
instances  was  marked  for  its  absence  of  anything  that  savored 
of  form. 

In  the  early  days  Dr.  Washington  gave  personal  attention 
to  many  such  little  details,  but  in  the  closing  days  he  became  the 
real  executive  and  depended  upon  his  assistants  and  instructors 
to  get  the  desired  results.  He  showed  rare  ability  to  judge 
men  and  he  secured  for  the  heads  of  his  departments  the  very 
best  material  he  could  lay  his  hands  upon.  In  administering  the 
affairs  of  Tuskegee,  as  in  other  lines  of  endeavor,  he  was  a  pro 
digious  worker.  He  could  keep  a  dozen  stenographers  busy  day 
after  day  and  be  perfectly  familiar  with  all  the  details  of  the  bus 
iness  that  was  being  transacted. 

He  reduced  nearly  all  of  his  speeches  to  writing,  and 
sketched  ideas  on  the  trains,  or  in  his  hotel,  or  when  waiting  to 
receive  some  visitor — everywhere  and  in  the  most  unexpected 
places  he  would  be  found  at  work.  His  contributions  to  litera 
ture  were  in  the  largest  measure  outlined  or  prepared  in  this 
seeming  disconnected  way,  yet  his  thoughts  tended  in  one  direc 
tion.  He  had  one  great  problem  before  him  and  on  his  mind. 
It  was  his  all  absorbing  thought — the  amelioration  of  his  race. 
So  his  efforts  were  in  the  finality  concentrated. 

He  had  a  rugged  constitution  and  was  regarded  as  a  man  of 


THE  MAN  OF  TUSKEGEE  AT  HOME.        169 

great  power,  but  it  is  doubtful  if  any  other  man  could  have  with 
stood  the  terrific  struggle,  mental  and  physical,  to  which  he  sub 
jected  himself  without  cessation  for  a  period  of  almost  half  a 
century  in  a  life  that  extended  but  a  few  years  beyond  those 
measures  of  time.  Beyond  question  Booker  T.  Washington 
wore  himself  out  in  the  service  of  his  people,  his  country  and 
his  family.  His  friends  and  sincerest  admirers  recognized  this, 
and  it  is  significant  that  General  Samuel  Armstrong,  the  founder 
of  Hampton  Institute,  did  the  same  thing  in  his  unselfish  efforts 
to  educate  and  lift  up  the  colored  race. 

TO  INFLUENCE  CONTRIBUTIONS. 

The  fear  that  Dr.  Washington  would  wear  his  life  out  and 
deprive  the  country  of  his  services  prematurely  was  used  as  an 
argument  by  some  of  the  speakers  at  a  meeting  held  in  New 
York  in  1899,  to  influence  contributions  to  endow  Tuskegee. 
Rev.  W.  S.  Rainsford,  rector  of  St.  George's  Church,  in  this 
connection  said,  "  It  is  our  duty  to  do  for  this  man  what  we 
failed  to  do  for  General  Armstrong.  We  allowed  him  to  go 
around  the  country  begging  until  it  killed  him." 

Though  Tuskegee  received  liberal  support  and  the  necessity 
for  Dr.  Washington's  begging  and  struggling  for  money  ended, 
he  continued  to  carry  the  burden  of  the  executive  work  upon 
his  broad  shoulders  until  about  the  first  of  November,  1915,  he 
was  found  to  be  suffering  from  a  nervous  breakdown  and  was 
-emoved  to  St.  Luke's  Hospital  at  Amsterdam  Avenue  and  i  I3th 
Street,  New  York. 

He  had  been  suffering  from  severe  headaches  for  about  a 
month  prior  to  his  removal  to  the  hospital  and  was  taken  to  Dr. 
W.  A.  Bastedo,  of  New  York,  for  examination,  at  the  sugges 
tion  of  Seth  Low  and  William  G.  Wilcox,  trustees  of  Tuskegee 
Institute.  He  was  found  to  be  worn  out.  There  was  a  notice- 


170        THE  MAN  OF  TUSKEGEE  AT  HOME. 

able  hardening  of  the  arteries  and  he  was  extremely  nerv 
ous. 

He  realized  that  the  end  was  near  and  requested  to  be  re 
moved  to  his  home.  "  I  was  born  in  the  South,  have  lived  all 
my  life  in  the  South,  and  expect  to  die  and  be  buried  in  the 
South,"  he  had  frequently  remarked  to  his  friends,  and  after  it 
was  ascertained  that  his  vitality  was  almost  exhausted,  he  was 
returned  to  the  scene  of  his  beloved  institution  and  his  peace 
ful  home.  The  immediate  cause  of  his  death  within  a  very  few 
hours  after  his  arrival  home  with  arterio  sclerosis  (hardening  of 
the  arteries). 

PROFOUND  AND  UNIVERSAL  EXPRESSIONS  OF  SYMPATHY. 

The  death  of  few  men  in  public  life  brought  forth  such  pro 
found  and  universal  expressions  of  sympathy,  and  the  mourning 
in  the  colored  homes  throughout  the  country  and  particularly 
in  the  far  South,  was  something  away  beyond  empty  words. 
Those  who  knew  what  he  had  done  for  the  negro — and  there 
are  few  who  do  not — felt  in  the  death  a  personal  loss,  and  they 
will  find  that  the  loss  is  greater  as  the  period  of  his  absence 
increases. 

There  were  thousands  who  disagreed  with  him  as  to 
methods  and  in  principle,  but  his  enemies,  strong  in  their  own 
convictions,  paid  him  the  tribute  he  deserved. 

"  For  many  years  I  enjoyed  the  personal  acquaintance  and 
confidence  of  Dr.  Booker  T.  Washington,"  wrote  Charles  H. 
Brooks,  in  the  Christian  Review,  in  a  tribute  to  the  great  edu 
cator.  "  In  the  work  of  the  National  Negro  Business  League 
we  were  officially  associated,  hence  I  had  many  opportunities 
to  study  the  private  character  of  Dr.  Washington. 

"  His  public  career  has  been  discussed  in  all  the  great  daily 
newspapers  of  this  country,  and  it  seems  to  be  universally  con- 


THE  MAN  OF  TUSKEGEE  AT  HOME.        171 

ceded  by  the  editors  of  white  papers  that  Dr.  Washington  was 
the  greatest  natural  born  leader  his  race  has  produced  in  fifty 
years. 

"  Mr.  Editor,  you  have  asked  me  for  my  personal  opinion 
of  Dr.  Washington,  and  I  repeat  now  what  I  have  often  said 
to  him  in  private.  I  did  not  agree  with  him  in  all  his  views  upon 
the  race  question.  Some  of  his  plans  and  methods  in  presenting 
our  interests  to  the  dominant  race  did  not  meet  with  my  approv 
al,  but  the  f  ends  justified  the  means/ 

CONTINUED  FIRM  FRIENDS. 

"  Notwithstanding  our  difference  in  views  on  public  matters, 
we  continued  firm  friends  down  to  his  death.  He  differed 
with  men,  but  he  did  not  hate  them.  That  proved  his  greatness 
of  character  and  strength  of  intellect. 

"  He  was  not  a  haughty  and  selfish  spouter,  boisterously 
strutting  around  and  boasting  about  his  power  and  influence. 
Dr.  Washington  gave  his  wonderfully  creative  mind  to  the 
greatest  constructive  work  of  his  people  as  meekly  as  did  the 
Man  of  Nazareth,  who  went  about  doing  good. 

"  The  whole  nation  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  the  most 
illustrious  and  useful  man  this  race  has  ever  produced.  His 
heart  was  always  right.  His  work  will  endure  and  ensue  to 
the  good  of  his  country,  while  his  soul  rests  with  our  Saviour 
in  that  Eternal  City. 

'  I  cannot  say  more,  because  my  heart  is  full  of  sorrow 
at  the  loss  of  my  personal  friend,  the  benefactor  of  his  people." 

While  simplicity  marked  the  funeral  of  the  great  "  Black 
Man  of  Tuskegee,"  on  Wednesday,  November  17,  1915,  more 
than  8,000  persons  assembled  at  the  Institute  which  he  builded 
to  pay  respects  to  his  memory.  There  were  prominent  men 
in  all  walks  of  life,  negroes  and  whites,  hundreds  of  students 


172        THE  MAN  OF  TUSKEGEE  AT  HOME. 

who  had  received  training  at  his  hands  to  go  out  into  the  world 
to  spread  his  doctrines,  aged  colored  farmers  who  had  benefited 
by  his  teachings,  mothers  who  through  his  influences  exerted 
on  their  children  were  made  proud  and  happy,  business  men, 
men  of  the  cloth,  teachers,  workers  and  even  little  children  who 
had  been  taught  to  revere  him. 

The  services  were  conducted  in  the  pretty  little  chapel 
of  the  Institute  into  which  not  more  than  half  of  those  who  came 
to  pay  their  respects  were  able  to  find  their  way.  The  simple 
Episcopal  service,  which  was  read,  was  punctuated  by  old  plan 
tation  songs  which  Dr.  Washington  loved.  Also  a  number  of 
telegrams  were  read  from  thousands  which  were  received  from 
all  parts  of  the  country  and  even  abroad. 

The  procession  of  mourners,  which  formed  in  front  of  the 
Administration  Building,  was  headed  by  the  Institute  Trustees, 
the  Executive  Council  of  the  school,  members  of  the  Faculty  and 
a  number  of  distinguished  visitors. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
A  BLACK  MAN'S  EPITAPH  WRIT  IN  WORDS  OF  GOLD. 

FEW  men  in  modern  history  have  enjoyed  greater  confidence 
of  the  people  of  the  Nation  to  which  he  belonged  than  did 
Booker  T.  Washington,  and  few  during  their  lives  have, 
had  the  praise  bestowed  upon  them  which  fell  to  the  lot  of  this 
extraordinary  leader  of  his  race. 

It  is  one  of  the  human  characteristics  to  minimize  the 
accomplishments  of  men  as  they  struggle  forward  in  life.  The 
pioneer  seldom  enjoys  the  full  fruits  of  his  labors.  Too  fre 
quently  does  the  world  fail  to  return  even  a  fair  measure  of 
credit  for  the  things  that  man  has  done,  but  when  he  passes  to 
the  Great  Beyond  it  rises  and  pronounces  a  Benediction  in  which 
he  is  praised  for  his  smallest  effort. 

Just  as  he  was  the  extraorindary  man  who  rose  from  ob 
scurity  to  the  pinnacle  of  fame  as  an  educator  and  the  leader  of 
the  colored  race,  so  Booker  T.  Washington  proved  himself  an 
unusual  mortal  in  that  he  won  the  plaudits  of  the  world  of  men 
yet  while  he  lived.  His  praises  were  sounded  in  the  public 
places  until  at  the  end  of  his  life's  journey  the  entire  country 
bowed  in  respect  to  his  memory,  and  the  great  newspapers 
and  journals,  reflecting  the  opinions  of  men,  added  these  com 
ments  in  one  grand  symposium  that  constitutes  his  epitaph : 

Short  of  the  "  Great  Emancipator  "  himself,  Booker  T. 
Washington  was  the  best  friend  of  the  negroes  of  the  United 
States,  and  their  own  tenacity  in  holding  to  the  path  he  hewed 
for  them  will  be,  in  great  measure,  the  test  of  their  own  ability  to 
learn  wisdom,  and  of  the  soundness  of  the  method  he  adopted 
for  the  solution  of  one  of  the  gravest  of  the  problems  confront- 

173 


174  A  BLACK  MAN'S  EPITAPH. 

ing  the  nation.  Fortunately,  the  foundations  he  laid  at  Tuske- 
gee  were  broad  and  deep ;  there  are  thousands  of  men  and  women 
trained  under  his  guidance,  inspired  by  his  tolerant  and  practical 
spirit,  who  will  carry  on  his  work  and  keep  alive  his  method. 
Washington's  vital  contribution  to  the  solution  of  the  negro 
question  was  the  principle  that  if  the  colored  people  are  to  rise 
successfully  from  economic  slavery  they  must  learn  to  help 
themselves.  And  the  natural  corollary  to  this  was  the  practical 
lesson  that  only  by  the  work  of  their  hands  could  they  hope  to 
make  themselves  useful  and  productive  members  of  the  com 
munity.  He  deprecated,  and  this  made  him  some  bitter  enemies 
among  his  own  people,  the  mistaken  ambition  which  sought  to 
raise  individuals  into  positions  for  which  they  were  either  un 
fitted,  or  in  which  they  would  be  forced  into  hopelss  competition 
with  the  race  which  for  generations  had  been  their  superiors 
in  every  social  and  mental  attribute.  But  he  insisted  that  there 
was  a  need  for  better  trained  labor  in  every  department  of 
human  activity,  that  the  negroes  themselves  were  in  urgent  need 
of  the  skilled  services  that  could  be  rendered  by  their  own  people, 
and  that  until  that  field  was  filled,  the  needless  invasion  of 
negroes  into  competition  with  white  labor  was  only  productive 
of  racial  jealousies  and  friction. 

NEVER  CLAIMED  TO  BE  ORIGINATOR. 

Doctor  Washington  never  claimed  to  be  the  originator  of 
the  principles  and  methods  for  which  his  great  school  at  Tuske- 
gee  became  the  chief  exponent.  He  owed  his  own  training  to 
white  initiative  at  Hampton,  but  it  was  his  own  energy  and 
ability,  his  sympathy  and  understanding  with  his  own  people, 
his  power  to  command  the  respect  and  support  of  Americans 
without  regard  to  race  or  religion  or  politics,  that  bore  mag 
nificent  fruit  throughout  the  while  Southland.  It  is  not  too 


A  BLACK  MAN'S  EPITAPH.  175 

much  to  say  that  much  of  the  industrial  and  agricultural  growth 
of  the  negroes  of  that  section  is  due  to  his  inspiration  and  to  the 
efforts  of  the  men  and  women  whom  he  sent  out  as  missionaries 
of  efficiency  and  common  sense.  His  place  will  be  difficult,  if 
not  impossible  to  fill,  but  his  work  will  live  after  him,  an  im 
perishable  monument  to  his  broad  vision,  tolerant  viewpoint  and 
executive  ability. — Philadelphia  Public  Ledger. 

Comment  on  Dr.  Booker  T.  Washington  should  not  be 
based  on  the  fact  that  he  is  dead;  it  must  be  predicated  on 
the  fact  that  he  has  been  alive.  For  during  his  life  Dr.  Wash 
ington  offered  about  the  only  practical  solution  of  the  negro 
problem  which  has  been  offered.  There  have  been  paper  plans 
a  plenty,  and  the  doctrinaires  are  always  busy. 

DID  EVERYTHING  POSSIBLE. 

But  when  the  colored  man  was  legislated  into  the  rights  of 
citizenship  after  the  civil  war,  the  doctrinaire  had  done  every 
thing  humanly  possible  for  him  from  the  theoretical  point  of 
view.  That  the  colored  man  did  not  in  fact  become  a  citizen, 
that  his  freedom  and  his  equality  were  legal  rather  than  actual, 
was  not  a  deficiency  in  theory  but  a  matter  of  fact.  The  temp 
tation  to  those  interested  in  benefiting  the  negro  was  to  scold 
the  whites  for  their  refusal  to  recognize  him.  Race  pride 
protested  against  Jim  Crow  cars,  segregation  in  theatres,  re 
strictions  in  residence. 

This  is  precisely  the  kind  of  work  Dr.  Washington  did  not 
do.  He  seldom  scolded  the  whites,  and  took  his  rebuffs  with 
philosophy.  Instead  of  calling  upon  the  colored  men  to  assert 
their  rights,  he  set  out  to  eradicate  those  negro  characteristics 
which  made  it  impossible  for  negroes  to  achieve  rights.  His 
idea  was  that  they  should  earn  their  place  in  the  community. 
The  legal  bars  were  broken  down  when  the  amendment  to  the 


1 76  A  BLACK  MAN'S  EPITAPH. 

constitution  was  passed,  but  the  human  bars  were  not  broken 
down.  It  was  these  bars  which  Dr.  Washington  attempted  to 
demolish. 

No  laws  can  solve  the  problem  of  the  colored  race  in 
America.  More  men  like  Dr.  Washington  may  be  able  to  do 
so. — Chicago  Tribune. 

In  his  autobiography,  "  Up  from  Slavery/'  Booker  T. 
Washington  described  the  humble  beginnings  of  Tuskegee  In 
stitute  in  a  "  little  old  shanty  and  the  abandoned  church  which 
the  good  colored  people  of  the  town  of  Tuskegee  had  kindly 
loaned  us  for  the  accommodation  of  the  classes."  During 
the  thirty-four  years  which  have  passed  since  then,  Tuskegee 
Institute  has  grown  enormously.  Beginning  with  thirty  pupils, 
it  now  has  about  2,500.  It  owns  1 1 1  buildings  and  3,500  acres 

of  land. 

EFFECT  OF  TRAINING  ON  COLORED  RACE. 

But  it  is  not  upon  these  mere  material  manifestations  of 
success  and  prosperity  that  the  chief  value  of  the  institution 
rests.  The  measure  of  that  value  is  the  effect  of  its  training 
on  members  of  the  colored  race.  Like  the  school  at  which  he 
received  his  education,  Hampton  Institute,  Dr.  Washington 
made  Tuskegee  a  normal  and  industrial  school.  He  said: 
"  In  our  industrial  teaching  we  keep  three  things  in  mind :  First, 
that  the  student  shall  be  so  educated  that  he  shall  be  enabled  to 
meet  conditions  as  they  exist  now,  in  the  part  of  the  South  where 
he  lives — in  a  word,  to  be  able  to  do  the  thing  which  the  world 
wants  done ;  second,  that  every  student  who  is  graduated  from 
the  school  shall  have  enough  skill,  coupled  with  intelligence  and 
moral  character,  to  enable  him  to  make  a  living  for  himself  and 
others ;  third,  to  send  every  graduate  out  feeling  and  knowing 
that  labor  is  dignified  and  beautiful — to  make  each  one  love 
labor  instead  of  trying  to  escape  it." 


A  BLACK  MAN'S  EPITAPH.  177 

This  ideal,  steadily  kept  in  view,  has  been  realized.  The 
effect  of  such  training  on  the  race  of  which  Dr.  Washington 
was  a  member  has  been  markedly  beneficial.  When  he  was 
given  an  honorary  degree  from  Harvard  University,  Dr.  Wash 
ington  said :  "  This  country  demands  that  every  race  shall  meas 
ure  itself  by  the  American  standard."  With  diligence,  intelli 
gence,  energy  and  painstaking  care,  Dr.  Washington  sought 
to  show  his  race  what  that  standard  requires.  Now  his  earthly 
career  ended,  he  has  left  a  monument  that  will  endure.  As  a 
builder  of  character,  the  essential  element  of  good  citizenship, 
he  proved  himself  one  of  the  most  useful  of  Americans. — 
Chicago  Daily  News. 

Botanists  tell  us  that  a  mushroom,  pushed  up  by  the  spirit 
of  growth  within  it,  can  lift  a  stone  weighing  hundreds  of 
pounds.  Some  boys  are  born  with  the  same  lifting  power. 
Nothing  can  keep  them  down. 

SLAVE  BABIES  ALL  ALIKE. 

No  one  looking  at  the  little  mulatto  baby  born  on  the  Talia- 
ferro  plantation  in  Franklin  County,  Virginia,  in  1857  or  1858, 
could  see  any  difference  between  him  and  any  other  slave  baby 
born  that  year.  There  was  something  in  him,  however,  which 
made  it  possible  for  him  to  push  his  head  up  through  all  the 
heavy  burdens  of  centuries  of  ancestral  slavery  and  economic 
dependence  until  he  stood  on  a  level,  so  far  as  achievement  is 
concerned,  with  the  great  men  of  his  generation. 

He  worked  in  a  furnace  when  he  was  a  small  boy,  and  was 
occupied  from  early  morning  till  late  at  night.  The  boys  with 
him  had  no  ambition  beyond  working  as  laborers  for  the  rest 
of  their  lives.  But  this  boy  had  something  besides  a  wishbone 
in  his  back.  He  got  some  books  and  learned  to  read.  He 
arranged  to  go  to  school  a  few  hours  in  the  morning  and  made 


12-W 


178  A  BLACK  MAN'S  EPITAPH. 

good  use  of  his  time.  He  heard  of  Hampton  Institute,  opened 
for  the  education  of  such  as  he,  and  he  made  his  way  there,  ar 
riving  with  fifty  cents  in  his  pocket.  He  worked  for  his  board 
and  worked  for  an  education  at  the  same  time,  and  in  the  course 
of  a  few  years  became  a  teacher  in  the  Institute.  When  some 
people  in  Alabama  wanted  to  organize  a  school  for  educating 
the  negroes  they  journeyed  to  Hampton  for  a  man  to  take 
charge.  This  young  teacher  was  the  only  one  there  qualified  to 
take  the  place.  He  went  to  Tuskegee  and  began  to  work  for  the 
elevation  of  his  race,  not  to  make  scholars  of  them,  but  to  qualify 
them  for  greater  industrial  efficiency.  His  efforts  commended 
themselves  not  only  to  his  race,  but  to  patriotic  citizens  inter 
ested  in  solving  the  problem  of  the  South,  and  the  school  grew 
till  it  now  has  1,500  students  and  the  respect  of  North  and 
South. 

OVERCAME  ALL  HANDICAPS. 

Booker  Washington  was  one  of  the  great  men  of  America 
because  he  proved  that  he  could  overcome  all  the  handicaps 
that  poverty  and  ignorance  had  put  upon  him  at  his  birth  and 
because  he  was  able  to  see  that  what  his  race  needed  was  indus 
trial  rather  than  scholastic  training. 

Every  whimpering  youth  who  says  that  he  has  no  chance 
to  get  on  ought  to  read  the  story  of  this  negro  and  then  gro  and 
blush  for  shame  at  his  own  incompetence.  Phiia.  Ledger. 

Booker  Taltaferro  Washington  was  a  great  American. 
So  great  was  he,  indeed,  that  it  will  take  a  long  vista  of  time  to 
place  his  life  in  its  proper  perspective.  What  he  did  and  what 
he  tried  to  do  reach  too  far  into  the  past  and  too  deep  into  the 
future  to  permit  a  verdict  now  upon  his  work  and  his  vision. 

To  us  to-day,  however,  both  vision  and  work  seem  to  meet 
the  tests  imposed  by  life  upon  the  influences  which  in  the  long 


A  BLACK  MAN'S  EPITAPH.  179 

run  affect  it  most  vitally.  They  did  not  comprise  the  radical 
views  of  the  needs  of  the  negro's  struggle  upward.  They  did 
not  start  out  with  the  itinerant  and  uncompromising  demand  that 
negro  equality  be  instantly  recognized  by  the  South.  They 
did  not  accept  the  idea  of  radicals  like  Dr.  W.  E.  du  Bois  that 
the  position  of  the  negro  in  America  is  due  not  to  a  race  dis 
tinction,  but  to  a  social  prejudice  left  from  the  name  of  "  slave." 
Nor  did  they  include  the  du  Bois  belief  in  a  militant  upholding 
of  the  negro's  right. 

INDUSTRIAL  EDUCATION. 

Booker  Washington  turned  resolutely  away  from  such 
great  theories  and  as  resolutely  faced  lesser  actualities.  He 
sought  the  upbuilding  of  his  race  not  by  propaganda  and  asser 
tion  of  "  rights,"  but  on  the  sound  and  simple  basis  of  indus 
trial  education.  It  always  seemed  to  us  that  he  was  quite  will 
ing  to  let  the  question  of  negro  equality  in  a  social  sense  take 
care  of  itself  when  once  the  negro  himself  had  become  a  sound 
economic  unit,  living  in  thrifty  households  where  self-respect 
was  possible  and  carrying  on  successful  enterprises  that  com 
pelled  the  business  respect  of  others.  If  the  10,000,000  Amer 
ican  negroes  could,  in  the  aggregate,  be  made  nothing  more 
than  a  sound  farming  class,  owning  their  own  homes  and  not 
existing  merely  as  "  cotton  labor,"  it  seemed  to  us  that  Dr. 
Washington  could  rightly  have  felt  he  had  put  the  feet  of  his 
race  upon  the  first  rung  of  the  ladder. 

This  vision  in  the  end  comes  pretty  nearly  around  the  circle 
to  meet  the  vision  of  the  more  radical  thinkers.  After  all,  the 
solid,  unromantic  things  of  life,  like  prosperity  and  efficiency, 
even  within  a  limited  field,  are  the  materials  which  build  respect 
for  men  among  other  men. 

It  was  in  this  practical  way,  too,  rather  than  in  the  extreme 


180  A  BLACK  MAN'S  EPITAPH. 

intellectual  way  that  Dr.  Washington  opposed  the  race  lynchings 
which  have  so  long  disgraced  the  South  and  part  of  the  North, 
including  even  our  own  State  of  Illinois.  He  did  not  start  out 
by  bitter  denunciations  of  these  tragedies,  as  well  he  might. 
On  the  contrary,  he  attacked  them  thru  the  cool  and  impersonal 
presentation  of  facts.  He  gathered  statistics  of  lynchings  from 
year  to  year.  He  analyzed  their  causes.  He  was  the  first  to 
bring  to  the  general  knowledge  of  the  country  that  these  kill 
ings  were  not  due  entirely,  or  even  in  the  majority,  to  the  one 
"  unforgivable  crime  "  in  Dixie. 

DID  THE  COMMON-SENSE  THING. 

Dr.  Washington  did  the  common-sense  thing  that  was 
nearest  to  hand.  He  did  it  as  a  coal  miner  in  West  Virginia 
when  he  first  heard  of  the  Hampton  Institute  which  General 
S.  C.  Armstrong  had  had  the  true  statesmanship  to  found 
to  develop  the  freed  negroes  into  agriculturists  and  teachers. 
Washington  walked  all  the  way  to  Hampton,  worked  his  way 
through  the  college  as  a  janitor,  and  then,  when  he  had  complet 
ed  his  education,  turned  the  Hampton  idea  into  the  Tuskegee 
Institute.  From  a  little  collection  of  shacks  this  school  for 
the  manual  training  of  negro  boys  and  girls  has  grown  to  an 
institution  with  a  plant  and  endowment  of  over  $3,000,000. 

Nor  is  this  all.  From  Tuskegee  other  negro  industrial 
colleges,  like  Snow  Hill  and  Utica,  have  sprung.  From  Tuske 
gee  has  come,  too,  this  splendid  new  idea  which  Mr.  Julius  Ros- 
enwald  of  this  city  has  financed,  the  establisment  of  little  schools 
for  colored  children  in  the  rural  districts  of  Alabama.  Some 
seventy  of  these  already  have  been  established,  and,  as  Mr. 
William  C.  Graves  said  in  The  Post,  yesterday,  they  have 
changed  the  faces  of  whole  neighborhoods  from  shiftlessness 
to  thrift. 


A  BLACK  MAN'S  EPITAPH.  181 

Dr.  Du  Bois  (Editor  of  "  The  Crisis  "),  the  leader  of  the 
more  radical  group  of  negroes,  has  a  fine  mind  and  an  unques 
tioned  sincerity.  He,  doubtless,  has  his  place  in  the  movement 
of  uplifting  his  people.  But,  in  our  judgment,  the  more  the 
country  understands  the  work  of  Booker  T.  Washington,  the 
higher  will  its  estimate  of  him  rise. 

SEEKING  CONCILIATION. 

To  wage  a  military  campaign  for  the  rights  of  the  negro, 
as  Mr.  du  Bois  is  doing,  appeals  to  the  sympathies.  But  we 
believe  that  the  verdict  of  time  will  give  to  Dr.  Washington 
the  palm  for  the  greater  accomplishment  in  seeking  concilia 
tion  rather  than  the  deepening  of  hatreds,  in  bearing  wrongs 
with  infinite  patience  instead  of  breaking  out  in  revolt  against 
them,  and  in  making  his  people  intrinsically  worthy,  of  the 
things  denied  them. 

Much  as  Booker  T.  Washington  did  not  fulfill  his  ideal,  his 
work  had  really  but  just  been  begun.  Not  only  as  a  memorial  to 
him  but  also  as  a  duty  to  the  republic  should  his  fellow  citizens, 
black  and  white,  take  upon  their  shoulders  the  responsibilities 
of  continuing  and  strengthening  the  school  at  Tuskegee.  Here 
is  a  monument  that  will  serve  us  all  in  serving  his  name.  c.  Post. 

The  death  of  Booker  T.  Washington  is  a  national  misfor 
tune,  for  his  life  was  a  national  benefaction.  He  stood  head 
and  shoulders  above  any  man  of  his  race,  and  his  towering 
figure  for  more  than  a  generation  was  a  pillar  of  fire  to  light 
his  people  out  of  the  darkness  of  ignorance,  indolence  and  error. 
He  was  the  Negroes'  wisest,  bravest  teacher  and  leader. 

He  saw  as  none  more  clearly  the  black  man's  shortcom 
ings  and  possibilities,  his  needs  and  his  hope.  He  devoted  his 
life — every  day  of  it,  every  energy  of  it — to  bringing  the  descen 
dants  of  the  slaves  to  see  these  things  as  he  saw  them,  to  setting 


182  A  BLACK  MAN'S  EPITAPH. 

their  feet  upon  the  one  path  that  opens  their  way  to  real  free 
dom,  material  independence,  respected  and  self-respecting  cit 
izenship.  His  work,  great  in  its  purpose,  great  in  its  results, 
was  monumental.  Now  that  he  has  laid  it  down,  may  there  be 
others  as  able,  as  devoted  to  take  it  up.  But  where  are  they? 
— Louisville  Courier- Journal. 

DESERVED  RESPECT  OF  CONTEMPORARIES 

Dr.  Booker  T.  Washington  earned  and  was  entitled  to  the 
respect  of  his  contemporaries.  He  saw  dimly  at  first,  but  more 
surely  as  time  passed  on,  the  possibility  of  providing  such  educa 
tion  for  the  colored  youth  as  would  make  the  recipients  of  it  of 
benefit  to  themselves  and  to  the  generation  in  which  they  lived. 

The  great  thing  Dr.  Washington  did,  the  most  useful  thing, 
was  to  teach  that  all  labor  is  honorable.  The  Tuskegee  Insti 
tute  work  is  based  on  that  principle. — Mobile  Register. 

Booker  T.  Washington  was  the  greatest  Negro  that  ever 
lived.  Washington  was  great  for  a  number  of  reasons.  His 
life  was  a  life  of  service  to  his  race  in  particular  and  to  the 
white  race  incidentally.  He  was  the  most  wholesome  influence 
that  ever  fell  upon  the  Negro  race  from  within.  He  did  not 
teach  a  false  and  hopeless  doctrine.  He  taught  the  virtue  and 
power  of  labor,  he  counseled  his  people  to  stay  in  the  South, 
to  keep  clean,  to  be  honest,  to  be  thrifty  and  acquire  homes; 
he  taught  them  to  look  upon  the  white  people  of  the  South  as 
their  friends ;  he  inveighed,  in  his  speeches  and  writings,  against 
social  equality,  by  his  integrity  of  purpose  and  the  rectitude 
of  his  conduct. 

Washington  had  more  influence  among  white  people  than 
any  other  Negro  that  ever  lived'.  He  caused  the  Negroes' 
understanding  of  his  true  relation  to  the  dominant  race  to 


A  BLACK  MAN'S  EPITAPH.  183 

be  restored ;  he  caused  the  white  race  to  think  more  sympathet 
ically  of  the  Nergo  race. — Montgomery  Advertiser. 

Booker  Washington's  death  is  a  loss  to  the  Negro  race,  to 
the  South  and  to  the  nation.  Unquestionably  this  man  in  his 
nearly  sixty  years  of  life  accorded  him  accomplished  more  for 
his  race  and  section  than  any  other  colored  man  who  has  lived. 

His  theory  of  the  solution  of  the  race  problem  was  practical. 
— Chattanooga  News. 

He  was  born  a  slave.  He  obtained  an  education  by  extra 
ordinary  efforts  and  sacrifices.  He  died  one  of  the  foremost  ed 
ucators  in  the  country  and  the  highly  respected  friend  of  many 
of  the  most  eminent  white  men. 

GREATEST  MAN  OF  HIS  RACE. 

He  was  the  greatest  man  of  his  race  because,  far  and 
beyond  any  other  man  born  in  this  country  of  African  descent, 
he  recognized  what  was  essential  to  the  advance  of  the  negro. 
It  was  property.  All  civilization  rests  upon  an  economic  basis 
but  not  all  white  men  recognize  this,  and  few  black  men  do. 
Dr.  Washington  alienated  many  of  the  more  prominent  men 
of  the  negro  race  because  he  put  this  economic  consideration 
first.  He  was  not  infrequently  declared  to  be  a  traitor  to  his 
race  because  he  refused  to  talk  about  social  equality  and  political 
rights,  and  kept  steadily  teaching  his  people  how  to  get  good 
wages,  to  raise  a  pig,  to  get  more  than  one  bale  of  cotton  from 
four  acres,  and  to  acquire  the  ownership  of  the  land  they  tilled. 
He  was  accused  of  irreligion  and  of  gross  materialism  because 
in  season  and  out  of  season  he  kept  hammering  into  the  minds 
of  the  colored  people  the  idea  of  thrift.  He  did  not  sacrifice 
religion;  he  was  no  materialist  and  he  was  not  indifferent  to 
social  and  political  equality,  but  he  was  profoundly  impressed 


184  A  BLACK  MAN'S  EPITAPH. 

with  Poor  Richard's  experience,  that  when  he  had  a  pig  and  a 
cow,  his  neighbors  bade  him  good  morning. 

Booker  T.  Washington  put  his  whole  philosophy  of  the 
elevation  of  the  colored  people  of  the  United  States  into  his 
dictum  that  it  was  more  important  to  a  negro  to  be  able  to  earn 
$3.00  a  day  than  it  was  to  be  able  to  spend  $3.00  of  an  evening, 
taking  his  wife  to  the  theatre.  This  infuriated  many  of  his 
people,  and  he  was  often  badly  treated  by  them  and  sometimes 
he  was  nearly  mobbed.  They  wanted  to  attack  a  proscription 
of  his  race  that  excluded  them  from  the  best  seats  in  the 

theatres. 

SOCIAL  AND  POLITICAL  EQUALITY. 

But  Dr.  Washington  understood  perfectly  well  that  the 
negroes  could  assume  social  and  political  equality  with  the 
whites  only  after  they  had  attained  economic  equality.  He  put 
first  that  which  must  come  first  in  the  order  of  time,  and  by  so 
doing  he  won  friends  among  the  influential  white  men  of  the 
South,  and  did  very  much  to  undermine  race  prejudice.  He 
taught  self-respect  to  the  negroes.  While  some  other  educated 
men  of  his  race  were  eating  their  hearts  out  because  of  the  dis 
criminations  they  suffered  on  account  of  their  color,  Booker  T. 
Washington  went  around  telling  people  he  was  proud  of  being 
a  negro  and  teaching  the  negroes  how  to  become  independent 
of  the  white  people ;  to  have  their  trades  and  farms ;  to  do  good 
work  and  get  good  wages  and  save  a  good  deal  of  their  money 
to  put  into  land  and  buildings  and  stock. 

It  was  only  by  becoming  economically  independent  that  the 
white  man  became  politically  independent,  and  Dr.  Washington 
was  discerning  enough  to  see  that,  and  forceful  enough  to  press 
it  constantly  upon  his  people,  and  no  other  man  has  done  as  much 
as  he  did  to  make  the  colored  man  a  self-respecting  and  a  re 
spected  member  of  the  commuinty. — Philadelphia  Record. 


A  BLACK  MAN'S  EPITAPH.  185 

Industry  and  thrift  were  the  gospel  of  this  leader,  and  he 
preached  and  practiced  it  with  a  vigor  that  could  not  fail  to  win. 
He  caught  the  inspiration  at  Hampton  and  was  among  the  first 
of  American  negroes  to  see,  in  the  large  way,  that  the  equality 
for  which  his  race  ought  to  strive  was  economic,  not  social. 
He  knew  that  talking  about  equality  was  not  the  way  to  get  it, 
but  that  it  had  to  be  earned.  Land  to  till,  stock  to  raise  and 
money  to  put  in  the  bank  and  take  care  of  for  the  rainy  day,  that 
was  the  doctrine  and  method  of  progress  that  Dr.  Washington 
believed  in  and  taught  many  of  his  people  to  follow  with  success. 

A  MONUMENT  TO  HIS  MEMORY. 

Tuskegee  Institute  is  as  fine  a  monument  as  any  man, 
white  or  black,  could  wish  to  leave  behind  for  the  perpetuation 
of  his  name,  and  it  is  due  to  the  indefatigable  labors  of  Dr. 
Washington  that  it  was  erected.  Starting  with  a  modest  little 
building — little  more  than  a  shack — it  is  one  of  the  most  notable 
educational  institutions  in  the  South  and  shares  with  the  famous 
Hampton  Institute,  where  its  founder  was  schooled,  the  distinc 
tion  of  leading  the  negro  people  in  their  search  for  civic,  moral 
and  economic  ideals. — Evening  Bulletin,  (Philadelphia). 

The  death  of  Booker  T.  Washington  has  removed  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  men  of  the  country  and  the  time  in  which 
he  lived ;  one  who  has  done  a  great  and  much-needed  work,  and 
one  whose  place  it  will  be  difficult  to  supply. 

Booker  T.  Washington  recognized  the  real  needs  of  the 
Southern  Negroes  in  the  matter  of  education  and  training 
as  no  one  attempting  that  important  work  had  done  before  him, 
and  he  has  accomplished  more  in  a  practical  way  for  the  ad 
vancement  and  uplift  of  the  race  than  has  come  from  any  other 
source. — Nashville  Banner. 

Dr.  Booker  T.  Washington,  the  greatest  leader  the  Afro- 


186  A  BLACK  MAN'S  EPITAPH. 

American  race  produced  since  the  death  of  Frederick  Douglass, 
is  no  more.  All  that  was  mortal  of  this  great  man  was 
consigned  to  Mother  Earth  at  Tuskegee,  Ala.,  within  the  shadow 
of  his  greatest  monument,  Tuskegee  Institute.  The  race,  as 
well  as  nation,  mourns  his  demise  and  feels  that  a  great  leader 
has  fallen,  his  work  all  too  soon  brought  to  an  end.  Inasmuch 
as  we  all  feel  that  a  great  personality  has  been  removed  from  our 
midst,  we  believe  the  influence  of  the  great  work  which  was 
started  at  Tuskegee  and  has  spread  even  beyond  the  bounds 
of  his  native  country,  will  continue  to  radiate  and  develop  as 
the  years  come  and  go. 

A  GREAT  AND  HEROIC  CHARACTER. 

Dr.  Washington  was  a  great  and  heroic  character  and  was 
a  champion  not  only  of  his  own  race,  but  the  white  race  as  well, 
The  writer  enjoyed  the  personal  acquaintance  of  Dr.  Wash 
ington  from  the  first  time  he  visited  Philadelphia,  in  the  year 
1895, to  ^e  time  of  his  death,  and  was  impressed  with  the  fact 
that  the  great  burden  of  how  best  to  improve  the  economic  condi 
tion  of  the  race  with  which  he  was  identified  seemed  to  weigh 
heavily  upon  his  heart.  His  greatest  ambition  was  to  secure  a 
sufficient  sum  to  endow  Tuskegee  Institute,  which  would  enable 
him  to  devote  more  time  and  attention  to  other  phases  of  our 
race  problem. 

The  writer  believes,  like  the  thousands  of  others  scattered 
throughout  the  country,  that  had  Dr.  Washington  been  relieved 
of  some  of  this  great  responsibility  his  young  manhood,  so  filled 
with  hopes  and  ambitions  to  witness  the  fruition  of  his  great 
work,  would  not  have  been  brought  to  so  brief  a  termination. 

We,  with  the  thousands  everywhere  in  this  as  well  as  for 
eign  lands,  mourn  the  death  of  our  great  leader  and  champion, 


A  BLACK  MAN'S  EPITAPH.  187 

Dr.  Booker  T.  Washington. — Abel  P.  Caldwell,  in  the  Philadel 
phia  C  our  ant  {colored}. 

The  frozen  fingers  of  death  have  done  their  deadly  work  to 
one  of  the  mightiest  sons  of  Ham.  It  is  not  only  a  family  in 
mourning,  but  an  entire  race  bow  their  heads  in  the  deepest 
sorrow  in  the  death  of  one  of  the  greatest  characters  born  of 
woman.  Among  the  noblest  benefactors  of  mankind,  whose 
names  are  enrolled  in  the  hall  of  fame,  none  can  shine  with 
brighter  lustre  than  that  of  Dr.  Booker  T.  Washington. 

NOT  EXCELLED  BY  THE  GREATEST. 

Hannibal  won  his  distinction  upon  the  battlefield  as  a 
patriot  defending  his  country.  Ceasar  won  his  fame  by  beating 
back  his  personal  enemies  and  conquering  armies  which  opposed 
him.  The  success  of  Alexander  the  Great  as  a  conqueror  caused 
him  to  weep  because  there  were  no  more  known  foes  to  give  bat 
tle.  Napoleon's  ambition  made  him  a  mighty  Emperor  who 
changed  the  map  of  Europe.  Washington,  the  father  of  our 
Country;  Grant,  the  hero  of  Appomattox;  Lord  Nelson  and 
Dewey,  mighty  heroes  of  the  high  seas ;  none  of  these  in  the  gal 
axy  of  the  world's  mighty  heroic  conquerors  excels  the  deeds  and 
achievements  of  the  slave-born  son  for  whom  now  a  race 
mourns.  An  enemy  more  formidable  than  the  snowcap  Al 
pine  heights,  an  enemy  more  dreadful  than  the  bleeding  winds 
of  Moscow ;  a  stream  wider  than  the  Rubicon,  a  fleet  more  ter 
rible  than  that  which  Dewey  faced  in  Manila  Bay ;  an  army  more 
forcefully  entrenched  than  that  which  Grant  met  at  Appomat 
tox. 

Booker  T.  Washington,  the  hero  for  whom  the  race  mourns 
to-day,  met  at  the  door  of  the  log  cabin  in  which  he  was  born 
'fifty-eight  years  ago  and  conquered  the  most  powerful  evils 
which  confront  humanity:  Poverty,  ignorance,  vice,  supersti- 


188  A  BLACK  MAN'S  EPITAPH. 

tion  and  race  prejudice.  With  the  courage  and  soul  of  which 
only  great  men  are  made,  this  ebon  hued  lad  overcame  them  all. 
With  bare  feet  and  eyes  turned  toward  the  rising  sun, 
he  fought  his  way  and  lifted  a  race  as  he  climbed.  Presidents, 
kings,  emperors,  statesmen  and  lords  paid  homage  to  this  un 
usual  man  of  valor.  There  may  be  those  who  did  not  always 
agree  with  his  policy  and  public  utterances  but  even  his  most 
bitter  opponent  must  admit  there  were  none  like  him.  No  one 
knew  his  race  better  than  he,  no  one  studied  the  needs  and  solu 
tion  of  its  problems  more  unselfishly  than  he,  no  one's  counsel 
and  advice  were  more  reasonable  and  logical  than  his. 

AN   IRREPARABLE  LOSS. 

Our  loss  as  a  race  is  irreparable  and  our  denomination 
has  lost  its  greatest  layman.  The  Christian  Review  and  its 
many  thousands  of  readers  extend  their  deepest  sympathy  to 
the  stricken  family  and  a  mourning  race. — Christian  Review 
(colored). 

The  whole  community  is  the  poorer  for  the  death  of  Book 
er  Washington  and  the  loss  to  the  race  of  which  he  was  the  son 
and  the  most  distinguished  representative  is  immense  and  irre 
parable.  In  many  respects  Booker  Washington  was  an  extra 
ordinary  man  and  he  was  so  to  a  very  notable  degree  in  the  com 
bination  which  he  presented  of  qualities  which  are  seldom  found 
united  in  the  one  personality.  By  virtue  of  the  aspirations 
which  he  entertained  and  of  the  projects  which  he  cherished, 
he  was  a  good  deal  of  a  visionary  and  enthusiast  and  yet  he 
never  fell  into  the  error  of  attempting  more  than  there  was  any 
reasonable  hope  of  accomplishing. 

He  was  a  level-headed,  far-sighted,  sagacious  man,  who  un 
der  all  circumstances  very  well  knew  what  could  and  could  not  be 
done  and  who  had  patience  enough  and  sufficient  philosophy  not 


A  BLACK  MAN'S  EPITAPH.  189 

to  become  dissatisfied  or  discouraged  because  he  could  not  make 
more  rapid  progress  toward  his  goal.  He  had  no  illusions  about 
the  formidable  character  of  the  obstacles  which  it  would  be  nec 
essary  to  surmount  or  as  to  the  seriousness  of  the  difficulties 
which  would  have  to  be  overcome.  He  knew  that  only  by  de 
grees  could  the  ends  at  which  he  was  striving  be  attained,  and, 
having  counted  the  cost  at  the  outset,  he  lost  no  part  of  his  cheer 
fulness  or  confidence  in  the  payment  of  it. 

HIS  INFLUENCE  REMAINS. 

A  great  vacuum  has  been  created  by  his  departure,  but 
much  of  the  influence  which  he  exerted  will  remain.  His 
achievement  had  a  value  which  it  would  be  difficult  to  exagger 
ate,  and  in  the  field  to  which  it  related  it  revealed  possibilities 
of  development  which  none  had  imagined,  and  which  many  had 
denied.  It  freshly  exemplified  the  potentialities  of  faith. 
Booker  Washington  had  faith  in  his  people  and  faith  in  the 
sympathy  and  support  of  the  American  public,  and  of  this  faith 
his  life-work  has  furnished  an  impressive  and  convincing  vin 
dication. 

He  is  gone,  but  his  example,  his  precept,  his  great  concep 
tion  remain,  and  of  him  as  of  another  it  may  be  said  that  "  his 
soul  is  marching  on." — Philadelphia  Inquirer. 

Probably  no  man  of  his  generation  has  done  more  to  solve 
the  "  negro  problem  "  than  did  Dr.  Washington.  Still  radical 
negroes  lately  have  criticised  their  famous  leader  as  a  "  com 
promiser."  They  felt  that  the  Tuskegee  influence  was  not  sup 
porting  the  downright  demand  for  "  social  equality."  The 
critics  belonged  to  that  group,  white  and  colored,  who  were  the 
spiritual  heirs  of  the  extreme  abolitionists. 

This  antagonism  has  been  muffled  on  account  of  Dr.  Wash 
ington's  great  popularity.  Washington  may  have  been  a  com- 


190  A  BLACK  MAN'S  EPITAPH. 

promiser.  Every  man  has  to  choose  his  battles.  He  has  to 
lose  some  points  in  order  to  gain  others.  The  man  who  doesn't 
compromise  lives  in  a  vacuum.  Compromise  is  the  price  of 
leadership. 

One  of  the  leading  sociologists  of  the  country  effectively 
described  the  split  in  this  manner : 

'  Washington  is  farther  removed  from  slavery  than  his 
radical  critics/'  said  this  authority. 

'  The  critics  call  attention  to  the  wrongs  the  negroes  suffer 
and  expect  the  decent  white  man  to  put  a  stop  to  the  wrongdoing. 
That  is  all  right,  but  it  is  the  slave  attitude — noblesse  oblige. 

TO  BE  INDEPENDENT  OF  FAVORS,  i 

"  Washington,  on  the  other  hand,  told  his  people  to  become 
so  strong  industrially  and  economically  that  they  would  not 
have  to  ask  favors,  even  for  justice.  That  is  the  free  attitude. 
Washington  was  farther  along  the  road  than  are  his  critics." 
— Chicago  Record-Herald. 

Tribute  of  Dr.  Talcott  Williams,  head  of  the  Pulitzer 
School  of  Journalism,  of  Columbia  University : 

"  Booker  Washington,  like  Benjamin  Franklin,  will  grow 
greater  in  the  minds  of  men  with  every  year  which  separates 
them  from  his  life.  Like  Franklin,  he  believed  in  the  funda 
mental  virtues,  industries,  thrift,  prudence  and  equal  oppor 
tunities.  He  was  careless  of  rights  as  long  as  there  were  duties 
to  be  done,  aware  that  every  man  who  does  his  full  duty  in  life 
will  have  every  right  he  deserves  and  desires.  No  race  in  his 
tory  at  the  period  of  its  development  has  had  a  greater  leader, 
and  he  will  live  among  that  small  group  of  great  Americans 
who  are  necessary  to  make  their  land  great.  Without  the 
bounds  of  this  land  he  has  revolutionized  the  method  and  man 
ner  of  developing  backward  people.  His  influence  is  left  and 


A  BLACK  MAN'S  EPITAPH.  191 

his  teachings  followed  wherever  the  world  over  men  are  called 
to  raise  those  who  are  in  the  rear  of  civilization  to  its  front 
ranks." 

Tribute  of  Col.  Theodore  Roosevelt: 

"  I  am  deeply  shocked  and  grieved  at  the  death  of  Dr. 
Booker  T.  Washington.  He  was  one  of  the  distinguished  citi 
zens  of  the  United  States,  a  man  who  gave  greater  service  to 
his  own  race  than  ever  had  been  given  by  any  one  else,  and  who, 
in  so  doing,  also  gave  great  service  to  the  whole  country." 

Tribute  of  Julius  Rosenwald,  Chicago: 

"  In  the  passing  of  Dr.  Washington  this  country  loses  one 
of  its  foremost  educators.  He  earned  the  everlasting  grati 
tude  not  only  of  his  own  race,  but  the  white  race.  I  know  no 
nobler  character  than  he  possessed." 

State  Commissioner  of  Education  Calvin  N.  Kendall,  of 
New  Jersey,  telegraphed  to  Mrs.  Booker  T.  Washington: 

"  To  you  is  expressed  the  sympathy  of  the  educational 
department  of  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  including  my  own  deep 
sense  of  personal  loss.  For  many  years  your  husband  has  been 
one  of  the  most  conspicuous  leaders  in  education  in  the  country, 
nor  was  his  influence  confined  to  the  education  of  his  own  race. 
I  believe  that  the  memory  of  his  eminently  useful  life  will  be 
a  consolation  to  you  and  yours  and  increasingly  so  as  the  years 
go  on." 

So  from  every  section  of  the  country  and  every  walk  in 
life  may  be  gathered  the  written  or  spoken  words  of  men  to 
evidence  the  everlasting  respect  which  the  world  held  of  "  The 
Man  of  Tuskegee." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
IN  MEMORIAM. 

IN  the  days  that  followed  the  passing  of  the  Moses  of  his  race, 
his  praises  were  sung  by  the  lips  of  thousands,  irrespective 

of  race,  creed  or  color.  But  few  movements  carried  with 
them  as  great  tribute  as  that  which  was  marked  by  a  memorial 
evangelistic  service  held  in  Philadelphia  during  a  period  begin 
ning  with  November  28,  or  a  fortnight  after  Dr.  Washington's 
death.  The  services  were  conducted  by  Inman  A.  McKenny, 
of  the  National  Bible  Institute,  and  the  significant  point  is  that 
the  purpose  was  to  arouse  interest  in  the  establishment  of  a 
vocational  training  institution  for  negroes. 

Thus  again  was  the  work  of  Dr.  Washington  as  an  educa 
tor  accorded  the  recognition  which  it  deserved.  The  meetings 
were  held  in  the  Varick  Memorial  Institutional  Temple,  Phila 
delphia,  and  the  meetings  were  marked  by  enthusiasm.  A  com 
mittee  of  more  than  one  hundred  men  and  women,  prominent 
negroes  and  white  persons,  constituted  a  committee  which  work 
ed  to  make  the  revival  a  success. 

In  Chicago,  on  the  day  of  Dr.  Washington's  funeral,  the 
negro  business  men  of  the  city  and  suburbs  paid  tribute  to  his 
memory  by  closing  their  places  of  business  between  the  hours  of 
10  and  ii  o'clock — the  time  of  the  funeral. 

The  suggestion  for  this  movement  was  made  by  R.  S. 
Abbott,  editor  of  the  Chicago  Defender,  who  suggested  also 
that  the  negro  business  men  and  residents  display  pictures  of 
Dr.  Washington  in  their  windows.  Incidental  to  this,  memorial 
services  were  held  in  several  of  the  colored  churches  in  Chicago, 
as  they  were  also  in  Philadelphia,  New  York,  Baltimore,  Wash- 

192 


IN  MEMORIAM.  199 

ington  and  Charleston,  W.  Va.  In  his  own  community  a  special 
service  in  charge  of  Seth  Low,  of  New  York,  was  held  and  a 
movement  was  started  to  raise  a  fund  for  a  $10,000  monu 
ment  to  be  erected  to  his  memory. 

In  the  Christian  Review  (colored)  following  his  passing, 
there  appeared  this  tribute  from  J.  C.  Asbury: 

"  When  Dr.  Booker  T.  Washington  died  at  Tuskegee, 
there  disappeared  from  among  us  the  most  inspiring  figure  in 
all  human  history.  No  other  man  has  ever  risen  from  such 
dense  ignorance,  absolute  poverty  and  discouraging  surround 
ings  and  reached  the  heights  in  achievements,  affectionate  re 
gard  and  public  confidence  as  he. 

FROM  A  HOVEL  TO  LEADERSHIP. 

"  From  an  almost  naked  slave  child  in  a  hovel  with  a  dirt 
floor  to  leadership  in  a  system  of  education  which  is  sweeping 
the  entire  civilized  world,  to  the  adviser  of  Presidents,  the  con 
fidant  of  leaders  of  the  world's  thought  and  action,  the  guest 
of  royalty,  the  mainspring  of  the  hope  and  aspirations  of  ten 
millions  of  Negroes  in  America,  and  the  quickening  of  the  faith 
of  the  oppressed  of  every  race  and  clime  in  their  own  ability 
to  do  something  and  be  somebody.  The  man  who  becomes 
hopeless  soon  dwindles  and  dies.  As  with  men,  so  it  is  with 
races. 

"  When  Dr.  Washington  began  his  public  career,  he 
realized  that  embittered  by  practical  disf  ranchisement,  the  denial 
of  their  civil  rights,  mob  violence  and  lack  of  educational  fa 
cilities,  the  Negroes  of  America  were  becoming  hopeless  and 
pessimistic.  Like  a  good  physician,  he  understood  the  condition 
and  applied  the  remedy.  He  pointed  the  way  out,  kindled  anew 
the  flame  of  ambition  and  hope,  and  brought  the  most  im 
portant  lesson  that  any  man,  race  or  nation  can  learn — that  the 

13-W 


194  IN  MEMORIAM. 

forces  that  make  for  our  welfare,  happiness  and  successful  en 
deavor  come  from  within  rather  than  without. 

"  That  man  who  fully  realizes  that,  while  others  may  point 
the  way,  he  alone  must  travel  it  if  he  would  reach  the  goal  of 
success,  has  more  than  half  solved  the  problem.  Like  all  great 
men,  Dr.  Washington  was  simplicity  itself  and  never  thrust 
himself  on  the  attention  of  the  great,  but  rather  sought  the 
humble,  dispised  and  neglected  that  he  might  help  in  giving 
them  their  chance. 

ALWAYS  KEPT  HIS  FEET  ON  THE  GROUND. 

"  To  use  his  own  expression,  amid  all  his  honors  and  dis 
tinction,  he  always  '  kept  his  feet  on  the  ground/  No  greater 
tribute  can  be  naid  to  him  than  to  say,  '  He  lived  and  died  for 
others.'  " 

Again  in  the  Christian  Recorder  (colored),  the  official 
organ  of  the  A.  M.  E.  Church,  under  date  of  November  18,  and 
coincident  with  the  announcement  of  Dr.  Washington's  death, 
Rev.  S.  C.  Churchstone  Lord,  of  St.  Paul's  A.  M.  E.  Church, 
Port-au-Prince,  Haiti,  made  an  appeal  for  industrial  training 
in  the  islands,  along  the  lines  established  by  Dr.  Washington. 
The  missionary  discusses  the  Haitian  situation  at  length,  reflec 
ting  the  same  views  that  Dr.  Washington  advanced,  and  said  in 
part: 

'''  In  my  efforts  at  studying  the  people  and  enquiring  into 
the  phases  of  their  activity  the  thought  has  forced  itself  upon 
me,  that  it  certainly  ought  to  be  clear  to  the  observant  business 
men  of  this  and  other  West  Indian  Islands,  especially  to  those 
interested  in  the  development  of  the  islands'  resources  and  in 
dustries,  that  a  vast  amount  of  material  in  the  field  is  being 
minimized  in  its  usefulness  for  the  want  of  proper  training  for 
an  industrial  activity. 


IN  MEMORIAM.  195 

"  To-day  there  are  thousands  of  young  men  and  women  in 
the  West  Indies,  with  energy  and  willingness,  and  with  physical 
equipment  sufficient  to  make  them  efficient  workmen  in  the 
industrial  field,  who  were  pecking  themselves  away,  being  con 
sumed  with  a  vague  notion  of  life,  solely  because  they  have  not 
had  that  training  which  will  inspire  them  to  engage  in  some 
enterprise,  outside  of  the  professions  and  clerkships,  which  in 
itself  would  contribute  to  the  industrial  development  of  their 
several  communities. 

DETRIMENT  TO  CIVIL  AND  INDUSTRIAL  PROSPERITY. 

"  It  can  be  readly  observed  by  any  one  visiting  these  islands 
that  those  whose  hands  are  not  soiled  by  trade  seem  to  have 
a  stronger  claim  to  respectability  and  favor  than  others.  This 
attitude  on  the  part  of  a  large  majority  is  a  detriment  to  civic 
and  industrial  prosperity  in  the  West  Indies.  The  aristocracy 
cannot  hope  to  find  lucrative  positions  for  all  their  sons  in  the 
offices  of  the  government,  or  in  the  stores,  nor  secure  for  them 
fat  fields  for  exploitation  before  the  Bar.  The  professions  can 
not  absorb  all  of  them.  An  overweight  of  professional  men 
will  wreck  the  balance-wheel  of  business  and  bankrupt  the 
government  of  any  country. 

:<  A  decided  aversion  to  farming  is  noticeable  among  the 
West  Indian  people.  Even  those  gaining  comfortable  support 
thereby  would  turn  aside  at  any  given  opportunity  to  less  re 
munerative  occupations.  Thus  the  rising  young  men  do  not 
trouble  themselves  with  any  ideas  of  industrial  or  agricultural 
development;  and  what  should,  under  ordinary  circumstances, 
be  a  source  of  wealth  to  the  natives  is  left  prey  to  the  commission 
merchants  of  foreign  countries  who  impoverish  the  native  pro 
prietors  by  various  means  in  their  powers. 

"  This  aversion  is  due,  no  doubt,  to  the  punitive  idea  with 


196  IN  MEMORIAM. 

which  industrial  education  is  so  emphatically  associated  in  the 
government  institution  for  the  reforming  of  youths  and  its 
specific  relation  to  agricultural  labor  in  the  West  Indies.  A 
large  majority  of  the  people  believe  that  to  be  separated  from 
agricultural  labor  and  from  '  trade '  is  about  the  same  as  being 
far  removed  from  Africa  and  slavery. 

'  It  is  admitted  on  almost  every  hand  that  agriculture  has 
a  respectful  place  among  the  great  nations  of  the  earth.  It  is 
the  bone  and  sinew  of  empires.  As  a  branch  of  labor,  agricul 
ture  contributes  to  the  life  of  the  individual  and  the  nation; 
therefore,  it  should  not  be  lightly  regarded,  by  any,  nor  should 
any  government  fail  to  equip  a  large  proportion  of  its  citizens 
in  this  important  branch  of  industry.  That  people  who  are 
unable  to  produce  industrial  giants — farmers  or  prodigious 
influence — is  not  worthy  of  a  place  in  history. 

A  SCIENTIFIC  OCCUPATION. 

"  Agriculture  is  not  now  regarded  as  a  drudgery  by  the 
more  enlightened  nations.  It  is  a  scientific  occupation.  The 
original  savage  knew  nothing  of  agriculture.  It  is  not  such  a 
long  time  ago  that  men  began  to  gather  seed  for  food  and  saved 
a  portion  of  it  for  next  year's  crop. 

"  The  one  great  need  is  vocational  schools,  with  the  govern 
ment  making  admission  to  the  colleges  and  high  schools  and 
also  making  courses  in  said  vocational  schools.  The  old 
system  of  apprenticeship  obtains  in  the  West  Indies  up  to  the 
present  day.  The  people  are  slow  to  discover  its  drawbacks. 

"  By  this  system  of  apprenticeship,  it  is  true,  many  young 
men  have  become  fairly  good  mechanics,  but  their  knowledge 
of  the  trades  has  been  secured  at  the  expense  of  their  intellec 
tual  development,  thereby  incapacitating  them  to  be  classed 
as  master-minds  and  constructive  forces  in  the  development  of 


IN  MEMORIAM.  197 

their  several  communities.  What  a  vast  amount  of  raw  mater 
ial,  capable  of  being  turned  into  the  finished  product,  has  been 
thereby  lost  to  civilization ! 

"  By  reason  of  an  impoverished  state  of  affairs,  owing 
to  a  lack  of  education  for  proper  co-operative  industrial  ef 
fort,  young  men  who  have  succeeded  in  receiving  some  degree  of 
intellectual  culture  have  been  lured  away  by  news  of  the  Ameri 
can  '  Eldorado/  They  betake  themselves  to  the  United  States 
of  America,  thereby  shirking  the  responsibilities  for  the  develop 
ment  of  their  home  and  country,  and  increasing  on  the  other 
hand  the  magnitude  of  the  labor  problem  in  another  country, 
which  country  can  never  wholly  assimilate  them,  while  their 
sympathies  and  interests — because  of  racial  antipathy — remain 

divided. 

BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON'S  IDEA. 

"  Now  that  the  Americans  have  undertaken  to  look  after 
the  industrial  and  economic  development  of  Haiti,  it  might  not 
be  out  of  harmony  with  the  intentions  of  the  authorities  in 
America  to  suggest  the  establishment  of  an  industrial  school 
after  the  Booker  T.  Washington  idea,  having  a  Tuskegee  grad 
uate  as  principal,  assisted  by  Haitian  and  colored  American 
instructors. 

"  It  is  known  also  that  the  State  of  Ohio's  support  of  the 
industrial  department  of  Wilberforce  University  has  advanced 
beyond  the  experimental  stage,  and  seeing  that  the  denomination 
to  which  this  college  belongs  has  a  church  organization  in  Haiti, 
the  authorities  at  Washington  could  very  well  secure  the  assis 
tance  of  one  or  more  of  the  Educational  Foundations  in  secur 
ing  $50,000  for  the  establishment  of  an  Industrial  School  in 
Haiti  under  the  direction  of  this  Negro  church,  thus  showing 
their  good  faith  to  Haiti  by  helping  in  these  necessary  funda 
mentals  for  the  future  of  this  people,  as  well  as  giving  to  the 


198  IN  MEMORIAM. 

colored  people  in  America  the  opportunity  to  manifest  the  spirit 
of  helpfulness,  which  I  am  sure  they  have  for  their  unfortunate 
brothers  here. 

"  One-half  of  this  fifty  thousand  dollar  donation  would  go 
towards  the  purchase  of  an  experimental  farm  some  distance 
from  the  City  of  Port-au-Prince,  and  the  erection  of  dormi 
tories,  the  remainder  being  so  invested  as  to  meet  the  cost  of 
management.  I  repeat  this  would  serve  as  an  earnest  of  Amer 
ica's  best  intentions  for  this  weak  Republic,  whose  troubles  have 
aroused  the  sympathies  of  all  liberty-loving  white  men,  through 
out  the  world." 

As  indicating  how  effectively  Dr.  Washington  builded  the 
organization  which  he  left  to  carry  on  the  work  he  started,  the 
following  comment,  which  appeared  in  a  Mobile  newspaper  a 
fortnight  after  his  death,  is  reproduced : 

SPIRIT  OF  THE  DEPARTED  LEADER. 

"  While  the  principal  and  founder  of  Tuskegee  Institute 
peacefully  sleeps  beneath  an  unpretentious  mound  of  brick  and 
stone,  with  elevated  urns,  growing  evergreens,  standing  as  sen 
tinels  at  head  and  foot,  built  between  the  chapel  and  the  little 
Institute  Cemetery,  the  spirit  of  the  departed  leader  seems  to 
be  everywhere  and  moving  everything  at  Tuskegee  Institute. 
It  does  not  appear  that  Booker  T.  Washington  is  dead.  It  is 
hard  to  realize  it. 

"  Fifteen  hundred  students  from  thirty-two  States  and 
nineteen  foreign  countries,  operating  forty-two  industries  under 
one  hundred  and  eighty  teachers,  march  as  usual  to  the  dining 
hall,  the  chapel  and  to  their  respective  studies  and  industries. 
Warren  Logan,  treasurer  and  acting  principal,  is  busy  with  his 
double  responsibilities ;  Emmet  J.  Scott,  secretary  of  the  school , 
with  tireless  efforts,  is  dispatching  replies  to  hundreds  of  unan- 


IN  MEMORIAM.  199 

swered  letters  addressed  to  Principal  Washington ;  J.  H.  Wash 
ington,  superintendent  of  industries,  is  directing  the  multifar 
ious  affairs  of  the  marvelous  plant  with  the  precision  that  char 
acterized  his  duties  and  responsibility  during  the  long  period 
of  his  brother's  wonderful  career.  Indeed,  the  team  work  of 
the  school  seems  to  be  unimpaired. 

"  The  only  evidence  seen  of  the  death  of  the  great  principal 
is  in  the  crepe  of  mourning  at  the  door  of  every  heart,  student 
and  teacher  alike,  and  in  the  spontaneous  efforts  of  every  one  to 
do  homage  to  the  memory  of  Dr.  Washington  by  promoting  the 
Tuskegee  spirit  and  by  faithfully  discharging  his  respective 
duties  as  if  the  great  wizard  was  present  in  flesh.  It  is  only 
necessary  to  say :  '  This  is  what  Mr.  Washington  wanted  to  be 
done/  and  it  is  gladly  and  faithfully  done.  The  spirit  of  Dr. 
Washington  permeates  and  inspires  all  the  activities  of  the 
school." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
"  AND  IT  CAME  TO  PASS." 

SINCE  the  achievements  of  Booker  T.  Washington  cannot 
be  separated  in  their  relation  to  the  race  to  which  he  be 
longed,  the  development  of  the  negro  and  the  South — it 
is  fitting  that  some  reference  should  be  made  to  the  success  at 
tained  by  other  members  of  his  race,  which  makes  for  proof 
that  he  knew  what  his  people  could  do.  Not  all  of  the  advance 
ment  of  the  race  is  attributed  to  the  work  of  Dr.  Washington. 

There  have  been  other  men,  some  of  them  negroes  born 
in  slavery,  who,  like  Washington,  lifted  themselves  by  sheer 
force  to  commanding  positions  among  their  fellow  men,  win 
ning  recognition  from  the  white  race.  Some  of  them  accom 
plished  things  without  education  or  special  training.  As  fur 
nishing  food  for  thought  and  a  basis  of  comparison,  as  well 
as  throwing  some  light  on  the  capabilities  of  the  African,  a  few 
brief  biographies  are  given. 

Bishop  Richard  Allen,  who  was  the  first  head  of  the  Afri 
can  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  founder  of  the  faith 
among  his  people,  began  his  ministerial  career  when  at  the  age 
of  seventeen,  and  so  impressed  his  master  with  his  eloquence 
that  he  allowed  the  youth  to  preach  to  him.  He  was  ordained 
a  deacon  in  the  Methodist  Church  in  1799  by  Rt.  Rev.  Francis 
Asbury,  but  withdrew  and  organized  the  colored  church  of 
which  he  became  the  first  Bishop.  It  is  a  matter  of  history  that 
he  withdrew  from  the  church  which  he  originally  entered  be 
cause  of  what  he  deemed  "  discrimination  "  at  a  time  when  it 
was  not  deemed  wise  to  question  the  white  man's  commands  or 
desires. 

200 


"  AND  IT  CAME  TO  PASS."  201 

Bishop  Henry  McNeal  Turner  was  a  living  exemplification 
of  Dr.  Washington's  theory  that,  in  a  majority  of  cases,  the 
negroes  who  occupied  commanding  positions  in  national  or  com 
munity  life  during  the  last  generation  had  learned  a  trade  in  the 
slave  days.  Turner  was  born  in  Newberry  Court  House,  South 
Carolina,  in  February,  1833.  He  was  free  born,  but  was  bound 
out  to  labor  in  the  cotton  fields  and  to  the  blacksmith's  trade 
until  manhood. 

Like  many  of  the  older  generations  of  colored  men,  in  his 
craving  for  an  education  he  secured  a  spelling  book  and  with  the 
aid  of  white  boys  of  his  acquaintance,  he  learned  the  alphabet 
and  how  to  spell  words  of  one  and  two  syllables..  He  got  no 
further  until  his  mother  employed  a  white  woman  to  teach  him. 
This  aroused  the  neighbors  and  his  instruction  was  interrupted. 

HE  LEARNS  TO  READ. 

He  finally  secured  work  in  a  lawyer's  office  at  Abbeyville 
Court  House,  and  there  he  learned  to  read  and  pursued  his 
'studies.  He  went  to  New  Orleans  and  later  to  Baltimore, 
where  he  had  charge  of  a  small  mission  and  continued  his 
studies  under  private  teachers.  He  had  joined  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  early  in  life  and  was  licensed  to  preach  before 
the  war.  During  the  war  he  was  appointed  United  States 
Chaplain  by  President  Lincoln.  Following  the  war  he  taught, 
preached  and  worked  to  build  up  schools  and  churches.  In 
1872,  he  received  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  from  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  in  1880  was  ordained  a  Bishop  of  the  A.  M. 
E.  Church. 

Andrew  Bryan,  the  founder  of  the  Negro  Baptist  Church 
at  Savannah,  in  1 788,  was  a  slave  and  was  publicly  whipped  and 
several  times  imprisoned  for  preaching  his  doctrine.  His  per 
sistency,  however,  won  for  him  the  promise  of  the  civil  authori- 


202  "  AND  IT  CAME  TO  PASS." 

ties  to  not  molest  him  and  his  meetings  were  continued  under 
restrictions.  His  master  finally  gave  him  the  use  of  a  barn 
at  Brampton,  three  miles  from  Savannah,  in  which  to  hold  ser 
vices,  and  in  1792,  the  church  began  the  erection  of  a  building. 
The  city  of  Savannah  donated  the  lot  for  the  purpose.  The  lot 
still  remains  in  the  proud  possession  of  the  church. 

The  first  negro  physician  in  the  United  States  was  James 
Derham,  who  was  born  a  slave  in  Philadelphia,  in  1767.  He 
learned  to  read  and  was  employed  by  his  master  in  compounding 
medicines.  He  became  very  skilful  and,  after  having  been  sold 
to  a  new  master  became  his  assistant.  He  purchased  his  freedom 
and  went  to  New  Orleans  where  he  built  up  a  lucrative  prac 
tice.  In  his  works  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush,  the  celebrated  physi 
cian,  refers  to  Derham  and  credits  him  with  having  much  skill. 

FIRST  PHARMACY  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

James  McCune  Smith  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  negro 
to  establish  a  pharmacy  in  the  United  States.  He  was  a  phy 
sician,  who,  unable  to  secure  the  education  he  demanded  in  the 
United  States,  went  to  Scotland,  and  there  secured  the  necessary 
medical  knowledge.  Subsequently  he  returned  to  New  York 
and  prior  to  and  during  the  war  was  regarded  as  one  of  the 
leading  members  of  his  race. 

Wistar  Mifflin  Gibbs  is  credited  with  being  the  first  negro 
elected  to  the  position  of  city  judge  or  member  of  the  minor 
judiciary  in  the  United  States,  having  been  honored  with  the 
post  in  Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  in  1873.  He  was  born  in  Phil 
adelphia  in  1823,  where  he  had  an  opportunity  to  acquire  a  good 
common  school  education. 

Subsequently  he  learned  carpentry  and  for  a  time  was  an 
anti-slavery  lecturer.  He  caught  the  "  gold  fever  "  and  went 
west  with  the  "  forty-niners/'  and  for  a  time  was  in  business  in 


"  AND  IT  CAME  TO  PASS."  203 

San  Francisco.  Finally  he  went  to  Victoria,  B.  C.,  where  he 
found  opportunity  to  study  law  and  returned  to  the  United 
States  and  graduated  from  Oberlin  College,  whence  he  went 
to  Little  Rock  to  practice  his  profession.  He  was  at  one  time 
United  States  Consul  at  Tamatave,  Madagascar. 

The  story  of  an  unusual  career  is  told  in  the  brief  sum 
mary  of  the  life  of  Bishop  Benjamin  F.  Lee.  He  was  born  at 
Gouldtown,  N.  J.,  in  1841,  and  was  left  fatherless  at  the  age  of 
ten  years.  During  winter  he  attended  country  schools  and 
worked  at  odd  jobs  and  in  summer  was  employed  in  factories 
and  on  the  farms. 

In  1864  he  went  to  Wilber  force  University.  It  is  said  of 
him  that  "  he  went  there  a  hostler,  unable  to  sleep  in  the  stu 
dent's  quarters,  and  in  thirteen  years  became  president  of  the 
University."  He  worked  his  way  through  the  institution  and 
entered  the  ministry,  and  after  serving  in  several  pastorates 
was  called,  in  1876,  from  a  charge  in  Toledo,  O.,  to  the  presi 
dency  of  the  college  from  which  he  had  graduated. 

RECEIVES  EARLY  RECOGNITION. 

One  of  the  few  men  of  the  negro  race  to  early  secure  a 
position  within  the  gift  of  the  people  is  B.  K,  Bruce,  who  was 
elected  to  the  United  States  Senate  from  Mississippi,  in  1874. 
He  was  born  a  slave,  but  after  the  war  went  to  Oberlin  College, 
and  then  became  a  planter  in  Mississippi.  He  secured  appoint 
ment  as  Sergeant-at-Arms  in  the  State  Senate  and  following 
his  service  in  the  United  States  Senate  was  appointed  Register 
of  the  United  States  Treasury  by  President  Garfield,  and  Re 
corder  of  Deeds  in  the  District  of  Columbia  by  President  Har 
rison. 

In  the  field  of  literature  Paul  Laurence  Dunbar,  the  poet, 
probably  won  more  fame  than  any  other  negro  in  America. 


204  "  AND  IT  CAME  TO  PASS." 

He  was  born  in  Dayton,  O.,  in  1872,  and  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools.  His  first  volume  of  poetry  was  published  in 
1893.  He  was  in  the  height  of  his  career  when  he  died  in 
1906. 

Ira  Frederick  Aldridge,  who  was  the  valet  of  Edmund  Kean, 
the  actor,  showed  such  aptitude  in  characterizations  that 
Kean  helped  him  and  he  made  his  appearance  as  an  actor  at 
Covent  Garden,  London,  in  1839.  He  played  Othello  to  Kean's 
lago,  and  made  a  successful  debut.  Thereafter  he  met  with 
unusual  success  and  was  decorated  by  the  King  of  Prussia.  He 
died  in  Poland  in  1867.  He  was  probably  the  foremost  actor 
in  the  history  of  the  race. 

UNIQUE  LITERARY  CHARACTER. 

The  most  unique  character  in  the  world  of  literature 
among  the  colored  people  was  undoubtedly  Phyllis  Wheatley, 
who  was  the  first  woman  of  her  race  to  win  recognition  in  this 
field  in  America.  She  was  born  in  Africa  and  brought  to 
America  in  1861  and  sold  to  John  Wheatley,  of  Boston.  He 
had  her  educated  and  at  an  early  age  she  wrote  poetry  which 
was  published  under  her  own  name  with  the  descriptive  note 
that  she  was  servant  to  John  Wheatley.  She  died  in  1784.  It 
is  worthy  of  note  that  at  this  time  the  increased  interest  in  the 
history  of  the  negro  in  America  and  in  educational  matters 
is  creating  a  demand  for  the  pioneer  verses  of  this  woman. 

In  the  world  of  art  Henry  O.  Tanner,  son  of  Bishop  Ben 
jamin  T.  Tanner,  of  the  A.  M.  E.  Church,  Pittsburgh,  is 
probably  the  foremost  painter  of  his  race.  He  resides  in  Paris 
and  a  number  of  his  works  have  been  purchased  by  the  French 
Government  for  its  collection  in  the  Luxembourg  Gallery. 
Several  exhibitions  have  been  made  in  the  United  States.  His 
subjects  are  chiefly  Biblical.  He  was  born  in  1859. 


"  AND  IT  CAME  TO  PASS."  205 

In  sculpture  Meta  V.  Warrick,  who  received  her  first 
training  in  the  Pennsylvania  School  of  Industrial  Art,  Philadel 
phia,  occupies  probably  first  place  in  her  race.  She  studied  in 
Paris  and  in  1903  exhibited  a  work,  "  The  Wretched,"  in  the 
Paris  salon.  One  of  her  groups  which  attracted  attention  rep 
resents  the  advancement  of  the  negro  since  introduction  into 
slavery  and  was  exhibited  at  the  Jametown,  Va.,  Centennial. 
The  artist  in  private  life  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  S.  C.  Fuller,  of  Mas 
sachusetts. 

A  PROMINENT  NEGRO  SINGER. 

Probably  the  most  prominent  singer  of  his  race  is  Harry  T. 
Burleigh,  of  New  York  City,  baritone  soloist  of  St.  George's 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  one  of  the  fashionable  churches 
of  the  metropolis.  He  is  also  a  composer  of  considerable  note. 

One  of  the  first,  if  not  the  first,  negro  graduate  from  a  col 
lege  in  the  United  States  was  John  B.  Russwurm,  who  completed 
his  education  in  Bowdoin  College  in  1826.  He  was  also  the 
publisher  of  the  first  negro  newspaper  in  the  country.  He  went 
to  Liberia,  where  he  became  superintendent  of  the  schools,  and 
later  returned  to  America  and  was  appointed  Governor  of  the 
District  of  Maryland.  He  died  in  1851. 

Among  the  other  early  graduates  was  Theodore  Wright 
from  Princeton  Theological  Seminary.  In  recent  years  some 
excellent  records  have  been  made  by  negroes  in  colleges  all  over 
the  country.  Alain  Locke,  of  Philadelphia,  graduated  from 
Harvard  with  honors  in  1907,  and  subsequently  won  the  Rhodes 
Scholarship  from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  to  Oxford 
University.  A  number  of  negroes  have  been  honored  with 
degrees  by  leading  colleges  and  universities,  among  them  being 
W.  E.  B.  Du  Bois,  editor  of  "  The  Crisis,"  who  received  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy  from  Harvard  in  1895. 

If  it  were  the  purpose  to  write  a  history  of  the  progress 


206  "  AND  IT  CAME  TO  PASS." 

of  the  negro  race  as  a  whole,  thousands  of  names  could  be 
presented  from  among  the  teachers,  farmers,  planters,  bankers, 
and  others  engaged  in  educational,  industrial  and  commercial 
pursuits,  just  as  it  is  possible  to  note  worthy  actions  or  accom 
plishments  of  thousands  in  every  race  and  in  every  nation  on  the 
face  of  the  earth. 

A  STORY  TO  TEACH  A  LESSON. 

The  purpose  of  this  story  is  to  teach  a  lesson;  the  lesson 
that  for  the  man  who  accomplishes  things — who  can  produce 
what  the  world  wants,  whether  it  be  in  the  field  of  art,  literature, 
science,  or  industry — color  of  the  skin  stands  as  no  bar  to  recog 
nition. 

While  it  is  of  little  historic  interest,  the  following  story 
shows  the  possibilities  that  lie  before  the  negro  in  the  field  of 
industry — as  a  skilled  worker.  Just  at  the  time  when  the  world 
was  discussing  the  work  of  Booker  T.  Washington,  and  what 
he  had  accomplished  by  the  industrial  training  of  the  negro, 
James  C.  Jones,  of  Philadelphia,  a  humble  colored  laborer,  58 
years  of  age,  was  having  tested,  by  the  officials  of  the  Balti 
more  and  Ohio  Railroad  and  the  United  States  Postal  authori 
ties,  a  patent  designed  to  save  the  railroads  of  the  country  and 
the  Government  millions  of  dollars  in  the  taking  on  and  throw 
ing  off  of  mail  from  high  speed  passenger  trains. 

The  Government  has  always  sustained  heavy  loss  by  the 
destruction  of  mail  bags  and  the  contents  of  these  bags,  hurled 
from  express  and  mail  trains  going  at  fifty  and  sixty  miles  an 
hour;  and  the  railroads  have  increased  operating  expenses  due 
to  the  necessity  of  slowing  down  heavy  trains  to  prevent  the 
destruction  of  the  mail  bags. 

Jones  made  a  device  which  provides  for  the  automatic 
delivery  and  receiving  of  the  mail  from  a  train  going  at  the  high- 


"  AND  IT  CAME  TO  PASS."  207 

est  possible  speed,  and  in  tests  made  it  worked  perfectly  on 
trains  running  at  from  fifteen  to  sixty  miles  an  hour. 

The  device  is  in  the  form  of  an  elongated  receiving  plat 
form  curved  up  at  one  end  in  a  manner  to  gradually  diminish 
the  shock  of  the  mail  bag  when  the  container  is  hurled  into  it 
from  the  flying  mail  car.  A  steel  runner  passes  above  it,  curved 
somewhat  like  the  runner  on  a  sleigh.  The  out-standing  steel 
arm  of  the  ordinary  mail  ejector  on  the  railway  car  is  fitted  with 
a  rubber  roller  which  rolls  upon  the  runner.  The  mail  pouch  is 
suspended  at  the  end  of  the  arm. 

LIFTS  WITHOUT  A  SHOCK. 

The  instant  the  roller  hits  the  steel  runner  it  is  lifted  slight 
ly  without  a  shock  as  the  rubber  roller  carries  it  smoothly  over 
the  runner.  The  lifting  motion  operates  a  trigger  which  re 
leases  the  mail  bag  and  drops  it  to  the  receiving  cage.  At  the 
same  instant  a  device,  which  is  the  one  now  used  on  the  rail 
ways,  snatches  the  other  waiting  mail  bag  and  takes  it  aboard 
the  car.  Jones  has  put  his  new  device  and  the  old  one  together. 

The  tests  of  the  invention  proved  that  there  was  nothing 
visionary  about  Jones'  idea,  and  he  was  warmly  congratulated 
by  the  railway  and  postal  authorities.  The  inventor  has  been 
a  laborer  all  his  life  and  had  no  special  mechanical  or  indus 
trial  training.  A  great  deal  of  his  time  he  was  a  cement  worker. 
His  device  is  the  crystalization  of  an  idea  that  struck  him  when 
he  read  a  government  pamphlet  telling  of  the  fortune  that 
awaited  the  man  who  could  perfect  an  effective  mail  catcher 
for  the  mail  service. 

Jones  suffered  all  of  the  trials  of  the  poor  inventor,  first 
selling  shares  at  ten  cents  each  to  raise  money  to  carry  on 
his  work.  Finally  he  interested  a  white  man  who  bought  out 


208  "  AND  IT  CAME  TO  PASS." 

the  shares  of  the  stockholders  and  advanced  money  to  complete 
the  work. 

When  it  was  conceded  that  his  device  was  all  that  he  claim 
ed  for  it  and  Jones  was  asked  what  he  would  do  if  he  sold  it  to 
the  Government  or  the  railroads,  he  made  a  reply  that  would 
have  pleased  Dr.  Washington : 

"  Well,"  said  Jones,  "  I've  always  wanted  to  own  a  chick 
en  farm.  And  lately  my  wife  has  had  a  hankering  for  an  auto 
mobile.  I'll  get  both.  I'll  move  to  the  country  with  my  wife 
and  my  five  children.  I'll  get  them  the  automobile  and  I'll 
look  after  the  farm.  It's  the  finest  life  in  the  world,  farming  is, 
and  I'll  be  content  with  it.  The  family  can  look  after  the  auto 
mobile.  I'll  find  my  pleasure  in  farming." 

DEFINITIONS  FOR  THE  NEGRO. 

It  is  worth  noting  at  this  point  that  statutes  placed  on  the 
books  of  some  of  the  States,  and  which  have  not  been  repealed, 
provide  definitions  for  what  may  be  regarded  as  a  negro.  In 
others  words  the  States  have  legally  defined  those  who  must  be 
classified  as  negroes.  In  the  State  of  Arkansas  "  persons  of 
color  "  include  all  who  have  a  visible  and  distinct  admixture  of 
African  blood;  in  Virginia  a  person  who  has  one-sixteenth 
or  more  negro  blood  is  a  "  negro." 

The  laws  of  Kentucky,  Maryland,  Mississippi,  North  Caro 
lina,  Tennessee,  and  Texas  define  a  person  of  color  as  one  who  is 
descended  from  a  negro  to  the  third  generation  inclusive,  though 
one  ancestor  in  each  generation  may  have  been  white.  Accord 
ing  to  the  laws  of  Alabama  a  person  of  color  is  one  who  has  had 
any  negro  blood  in  his  ancestry  in  five  generations.  In  Michi 
gan,  Nebraska  and  Oregon  no  one  is  legally  a  person  of  color 
who  has  less  than  one- fourth  negro  blood.  In  Florida,  Georgia, 


"  AND  IT  CAME  TO  PASS."  209 

Indiana,  Missouri  and  South  Carolina  a  person  of  color  is  de 
fined  as  one  who  has  as  much  as  one-eighth  negro  blood. 

The  Constitution  of  Oklahoma  reads :  "  Whenever  in  this 
Constitution  and  laws  of  this  State,  the  word  or  words  '  colored  ' 
or  '  colored  race '  or  '  negro '  or  '  negro  race '  are  used,  the 
same  shall  be  construed  to  mean,  or  to  apply  to  all  persons  of 
African  descent.  The  term  '  white '  shall  include  all  other 
persons." 

But  with  the  exception  of  a  few  laws  relating  to  segrega 
tion  there  is  no  restriction  on  the  activities  of  the  individual  and 
few  insurmountable  barriers. 


14-W 


CHAPTER  XV. 
THE  SPIRIT  THAT  GOES  MARCHING  ON. 

IT  is  but  necessary  to  scan  the  pages  of  time  to  find  exemplifi 
cation  of  that  truism  "  the  good  that  men  do  lives  after 

them/'  but  it  is  seldom  that  the  world  pauses  in  its  march 
of  progress  to  make  endure  the  memory  of  one  man  with  such 
a  degree  of  uniformity  as  in  the  case  of  Booker  T.  Washington. 

Weeks  after  his  body  bad  been  laid  beside  the  chapel  he 
caused  to  be  erected  at  Tuskegee  Institute,  there  was  held  on 
the  eighth  floor  of  the  great  John  Wanamaker  Store  in  Philadel 
phia  one  of  the  most  remarkable  meetings  recorded  in  that  city 
in  many  years. 

More  than  fifteen  hundred  intelligent,  well-groomed 
negroes  and  a  large  number  of  white  persons  gathered  there, 
high  above  the  streets  of  the  city,  in  the  very  heart  of  one  of 
the  greatest  shopping  and  merchandising  centres  in  the  United 
States,  to  pay  tribute  to  the  memory  of  Booker  Taliaferro 
Washington  and  hear  him  eulogized  by  Rev.  Floyd  W.  Tom- 
kins,  rector  of  Holy  Trinity  Episcopal  Church — the  church  of 
wealth  and  fashion  in  the  Quaker  City;  by  John  Wanamaker, 
by  leading  ministers  of  the  negro  churches  without  respect  to 
denomination,  and  by  prominent  colored  men  in  various  callings. 

A  new  hall — University  Hall — consecrated  to  the  education 
of  students  of  the  John  Wanamaker  Commercial  Institute,  and 
never  before  opened  to  the  public,  was  dedicated  by  this  meeting, 
held  under  the  combined  auspices  of  the  Robert  C.  Ogden  Asso 
ciation,  composed  of  colored  employees  of  the  Wanamaker 
Store;  the  Negro  Business  Men's  League;  NCPTQ  Mutual  Aid 
210 


THE  SPIRIT  GOES  MARCHING  ON.  211 

Society;  Armstrong  Association,  and  the  Social  Workers  and 
Keystone  Aid  Societies. 

Down  on  the  floors  below  teeming  thousands  swarmed 
through  the  various  departments  of  the  immense  building  inter 
ested  in  Holiday  shopping,  while  here  above  the  busy  marts  of 
trade,  men  and  women,  putting  aside  their  labors,  joined  in  re 
vering  the  memory  of  Dr.  Washington. 

After  describing  Dr.  Washington  as  a  rare  man,  hopeful, 
warm-hearted,  cheerful  and  bright,  Rev.  Floyd  W.  Tomkins,  the 
eminent  divine,  said  among  others  things  in  a  reminiscent  way : 

"  Dr.  Washington  had  a  whole-hearted  interest  in  the  wel 
fare  of  mankind;  proud  of  his  own  race,  but  never  forgetful  of 
his  obligation  to  the  whole  human  race — the  universal  human- 

ity. 

A  CHARACTER  WORTH  EMULATING. 

"He  possessed  several  peculiar  characteristics  which  it 
would  be  well  for  young  men  and  women  to  emulate.  First, 
there  was  that  willingness  to  begin  in  a  small  way — he  was 
patient.  I  remember  the  story  of  how  he  worked  to  get  an  edu 
cation  ;  how  he  walked  miles  to  enter  school,  struggling  forward 
with  the  object  of  building  up  the  race,  ever  faithful  in  the 
performance  of  small  duties  that  he  might  be  prepared  to  do  the 
larger  things. 

"  He  possessed  wonderful  breadth  of  character,  having  an 
unusual  conception  of  the  educational  needs  of  humanity,  and 
puttine  out  a  program  for  all.  His  was  a  program  of  high 
ideals  conceived  to  develop  the  head,  the  heart  and  the  hand. 

"  Dr.  Washington  never  despised  work  of  the  hand  or 
brain,  and  he  was  not  afraid  to  serve  with  the  heart ;  and  suc 
cess  of  his  threefold  program  of  education  caused  others  to 
follow  his  plan  and  develop  a  now  recognized  form  of  education, 
not  only  for  the  negro  race  but  for  ours. 


212          THE  SPIRIT  GOES  MARCHING  ON. 

"  Another  characteristic  was  his  wonderful  vision — a  vi 
sion  of  high  ideals  of  manhood  and  womanhood,  and  what  they 
might  become. 

"  And  may  I  not  remind  you  of  his  deep  humility.  There 
was  nothing  of  the  type  of  Dicken's  Uriah  Heep  in  his  charac 
ter  ;  he  had  magnificent  self-respect ;  he  was  not  ashamed  of  his 
race — he  was  proud  of  it,  because  God  had  made  him  one  of  it, 
and  you  felt  that  in  his  presence  you  were  in  the  presence  of  a 
man. 

"  One  other  thing :  His  wonderful  sympathy  and  care  for 
the  poor  and  downtrodden — sympathy  for  the  sick  or  those 
who  gave  to  assuage  the  suffering  of  others— making  their 
troubles  his  own. 

"  Always  he  was  warm-hearted.  He  radiated  sunshine 
and  punctuated  his  remarks  at  times  with  delightful  stories, 
which  made  you  forget  the  lowering  clouds  or  the  object  in 

hand. 

A  STORY  AT  CHURCH'S  EXPENSE. 

"  I  remember  on  one  occasion  he  told  a  story  at  the  expense 
of  the  Episcopal  Church.  The  minister  was  in  the  middle  of 
his  sermon  and  had  aroused  his  hearers  by  the  fervor  of  his 
utterances,  when  an  aged  colored  woman  in  the  gallery  became 
excited  and  burst  into  song,  to  the  discomfiture  of  the  congrega 
tion.  An  usher  approached. 

"  '  What's  the  matter,  Auntie  ?'  he  said. 

"  '  I'se  so  happy/  replied  the  excited  worshipper.  '  I  think 
I'se  got  religion/ 

" '  Um,'  commented  the  youth  who  was  delegated  to  pre 
vent  disturbances  during  the  services,  '  this  ain't  no  place  to 
get  religion;  this  is  a  Church/ 

"  It  was  through  such  little  incidents  that  one  came  to  know 
his  delightful  spirit/' 


THE  SPIRIT  GOES  MARCHING  ON.  213 

Concluding,  Dr.  Tomkins  said,  "  We  are  thankful  for  his 
life;  but  it  is  not  gone;  it  must  not  be  ended.  Almighty  God 
will  permit  his  work  to  continue  and  the  world  will  be  better  for 
his  having  lived." 

A  striking  tribute  was  that  given  by  Rev.  Wesley  F.  Gra 
ham,  of  Holy  Trinity  Colored  Baptist  Church,  of  Philadelphia, 
who  enjoyed  Dr.  Washington's  personal  friendship  and  was  a 
loyal  supporter  of  his  work  from  the  first.  Dr.  Graham  was  the 
chairman  who  introduced  Dr.  Washington  as  the  speaker  of  the 
occasion  at  one  of  the  negro  educator's  early  meetings  before 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  in  Richmond,  Va.,  and  who  was  subsequently 
a  member  of  the  Negro  Citizens  Committee  which  received  Dr. 
Washington  when  he  was  honored  at  a  meeting  held  in  the 
Academy  of  Music  in  Richmond  after  his  return  from  Europe. 

THE  FRIENDLY  BOARDWALK. 

It  was  on  the  occasion  of  one  of  these  meetings  that  Dr. 
Washington  said  he  had  difficulty  in  keeping  his  thoughts  away 
from  the  scenes  of  the  friendly  boardwalk  under  which  he 
had  slept  in  Richmond  many  years  before,  while  making  his 
way  to  Hampton  Institute. 

"  On  that  first  occasion  when  I  had  the  pleasure  of  intro 
ducing  Dr.  Washington,"  said  Rev.  Graham,  "  I  learned  a  les 
son  which  I  have  never  forgot.  I  had  utilized  all  of  my  orator 
ical  powers  in  making  the  presentation  speech,  and  I  felt  that 
I  had  done  myself  credit.  When,  however,  I  had  presented  Dr. 
Washington,  my  assurance  was  somewhat  shaken,  for  he  said, 
in  his  simple,  straightforward  manner,  'I  shall  indulge  in  no  sky 
rocket  oratory/  and  I  have  since  been  a  consistent  disciple  of 
this  wonderful  man,  endeavoring  to  deliver  to  my  people,  and 
to  the  world,  practical  messages,  avoiding  sky-rocket  and 
Fourth-of-July  oratory. 


214         THE  SPIRIT  GOES  MARCHING  ON. 

"  Two  million  five  hundred  thousand  Baptists  looked  upon 
him  as  a '  John  the  Baptist/  said  Rev.  Graham,  "  and  though  he 
was  a  layman  he  was  consulted  in  the  councils  of  the  Church, 
and  he  was  the  drawing  card  in  the  National  Baptist  Convention 
where  from  five  to  fifteen  thousand  white  and  colored  people 
assembled.  He  was  a  genius  of  common  sense;  a  schoolmaster 
of  truth,  who  taught  the  negro  how  to  prove  himself — taught 
him  to  do  everything  best/' 

At  the  opening  of  the  meeting,  a  picture  of  Dr.  Washing 
ton  had  been  thrown  upon  a  screen  at  the  front  of  the  stage, 
and  in  making  an  informal  address  Mr.  Wanamaker,  who  do 
nated  the  use  of  the  hall  in  answer  to  the  appeal  of  the  R.  C. 
Ogden  Association,  said  among  other  things : 

"  John  Brown's  body  lies  mouldering  in  the  grave  but  his 
soul  goes  marching  on. 

DR.  WASHINGTON   CANNOT  DIE. 

"  The  wonderful  face  which  has  just  been  reflected  upon 
the  screen  is  in  the  flesh  forever  shut  out  from  our  view,  but 
Dr.  Washington  cannot  die.  The  stamp  of  his  life  is  on  you 
and  on  me  and  the  world  is  better  for  it."  Mr.  Wanamaker 
urged  his  hearers  to  remember  the  patience  of  Dr.  Washington 
under  difficulties ;  his  unwillingness  to  quarrel,  and  how  he  swept 
away  the  differences  that  resulted  in  the  formation  of  cliques. 

"  I  cannot  forget  the  Memorial  Service,"  added  Mr.  Wan 
amaker,  "to  Abraham  Lincoln,  or  another  service  of  which 
this  reminds  me — the  memorial  service  to  William  McKinley. 
I  put  this  alongside  of  those  others.'for  Booker  T.  Washington 
was  a  Statesman,  and  I  hope  <hat  many  of  you  here  will  live  to 
see  the  day  when  down  in  Washington  there  will  be  reared  a 
fitting  monument  to  his  memory — the  memory  of  Booker  T. 
Washington." 


THE  SPIRIT  GOES  MARCHING  ON.  215 

An  address  which  was  highly  appreciated  and  threw  some 
additional  light  on  the  life  of  the  negro  educator  was  delivered 
by  J.  C.  Asbury,  a  negro  attorney,  whose  written  eulogy  has 
previously  been  noted,  and  who  was  on  one  occasion  a  Com 
mencement  Day  orator  at  Tuskegee.  Mr.  Asbury,  who  pre 
sented  resolutions  on  the  death  of  Dr.  Washington,  supplement 
ed  their  reading  with  some  personal  reminiscences,  in  which  he 
said: 

MUST  SEE  HIM  TO  APPRECIATE  HIM. 

"  We  have  all  read  Dr.  Washington's  messages  and  heard 
him  speak  before  our  people,  and  some  of  the  most  cultured 
audiences  of  the  North,  but  no  one  who  did  not  see  him  in  the 
Black  Belt  of  the  South  can  ever  fully  estimate  or  appreciate 
the  power  and  greatness  of  the  man,  nor  understand  him. 

"  On  the  occasion  of  my  oratorical  effort  I  went  with  him 
on  a  tour  of  forty  miles  through  the  Black  Belt.  He  was  inves 
tigating  conditions  and  marking  the  progress  of  our  people. 
Never  in  all  my  experience  have  I  witnessed  such  evidences  of 
adoration  and  veneration  as  were  exhibited  by  those  poor  color 
ed  people  of  that  District. 

"  At  the  cross-roads,  in  the  corners  of  the  fields,  on  the 
banks  beside  the  roads,  we  came  upon  little  sheds,  or  shaded 
nooks,  or  boxes  in  which  had  been  carefully  put  aside  for  Dr. 
Washington's  inspection  the  largest  potatoes;  a  basket  of  the 
finest  berries ;  the  largest  ear  or  stalk  of  corn — evidences  of  the 
efforts  to  improve  conditions  in  accordance  with  his  teachings. 

"  Sometimes  families  would  come  for  miles  from  out  the 
deep  woods  to  meet  him,  and  once  beside  the  road  there  stood 
a  negro,  his  wife,  children  and  granchildren,  with  hair  brushed, 
faces  washed  and  clothes  marked  with  evidence  of  painstaking 
effort  to  make  them  presentable.  The  family  was  too  poor  to 


216          THE  SPIRIT  GOES  MARCHING  ON. 

offer  anything  of  their  growing  in  the  fields,  and  so  they  stood 
for  personal  inspection,  and  in  simple  faith  inquired,  '  Doctah, 
don't  you  think  we  are  improved  ?' 

"  And  out,  miles  away  from  any  settlement,  we  came  upon 
a  country  school,  built  by  the  colored  people  of  the  plantation 
under  the  inspiring  direction  of  one  of  our  sisters  who  had  gone 
out  from  Tuskegee  and  consecrated  herself  to  the  work  of 
helping  to  educate  the  members  of  our  race. 

"  The  authorities  provided  payment  for  this  teacher  for 
three  or  four  months  of  the  year,  and  the  balance  was  paid  by 
those  who  reaped  the  immediate  benefit  of  the  school.  The 
teacher  had  not  seen  her  old  mother  for  five  years  and  she  was 
on  the  point  of  leaving  her  isolated  school  to  visit  her  mother. 
The  money  was  raised  to  make  up  the  deficiency  in  her  salary, 
but  said  these  simple,  eager  people  'you  must  not  fail  to  return 
to  us,'  and  those  are  the  conditions  under  which  they  agreed  to 
exert  themselves  to  provide  the  money. 

GREATEST  MAN  OF  HIS  RACE. 

"  When  you  have  seen  Dr.  Washington  under  such  condi 
tions  as  these;  when  you  can  witness  the  result  of  his  efforts 
and  testify  to  the  manner  in  which  his  name  is  hallowed  by  those 
people  of  the  Black  Belt,  it  is  then  that  you  know  Dr.  Washing 
ton,  the  greatest  man  his  race  has  ever  known." 

"  My  memory  goes  back,"  said  Rev.  Henry  Y.  Arnett,  of 
Mt.  Pisgah  A.  M.  E.  Church,  at  this  meeting,  "to 
the  occasion  when  he  delivered  that  famous  address  in  Atlanta, 
which  was  epitomized  in  the  expression  '  Cast  down  your  bucket 
where  you  are.'  It  was  there  he  first  promulgated  the  principle 
of  home  development  and  near-at-hand  service  and  advocated 
that  service  of  good  will  of  which  we  sing  in  Brighten  the 
Corner  Where  You  Are/ 


THE  SPIRIT  GOES  MARCHING  ON.  217 

"  His  admonition  to  those  in  the  South  was  to  do  well  that 
which  was  at  hand.  I  do  not  know  that  he  was  a  Moses  or  a  John 
the  Baptist,  as  it  has  been  stated,  but  he  was  born  in  due  time, 
at  a  period  when  bad  advisors  and  counsellors  had  stirred  up 
strife  and  there  was  talk  of  colonization  and  many  impractical 
and  visionary  things.  If  he  were  a  Moses  it  was  not  to  lead 
his  people  out  of  the  country,  for  he  admonished  his  people  to 
stay  where  they  were.  It  was  their  place  to  stay  '  on  the  job.' 
where  they  had  been. 

"  I  should  describe  him  as  a  sort  of  trio-dynamic ;  possess 
ing  intellectual  power  and  strength,  moral  power  and  strength 
and  constructive  power  and  strength,  and  sending  out  waves  to 
influence  and  to  benefit  all  mankind. 

"  He  killed  himself  working  for  his  people  and  the  highest 
honor  we  can  pay  to  him  is  to  keep  alive  his  memory  by  follow 
ing  in  his  footsteps — observing  and  teaching  his  gospel." 

The  unusual  meeting  at  which  these  comemnts  were  made 
was  presided  over  by  Charles  H.  Brooks,  vice  president  of  the 
Negro  Business  Men's  League  (of  which  Dr.  Washington 
was  the  National  President),  who  also  paid  tribute  to  the  great 
educator.  As  an  incidental  the  speakers  eulogized  Robert  C. 
Ogden,  who  was  one  of  Dr.  Washington's  warmest  supporters' 
and  a  former  business  associate  of  Mr.  Wanamaker.  A  fea 
ture  of  the  program  was  the  singing  of  seven  of  Dr.  Washing 
ton's  favorite  hymns  and  melodies  by  members  of  the  People's 
Choral  Society. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
WIDESPREAD  INFLUENCES. 

IN  the  preceding  chapter  reference  is  made  in  incidental 
manner  to  the  colonization  movement,  and  to  the  fact  that 

Dr.  Washington's  attitude  with  reference  to  any  movement 
tending  to  cause  restlessness  among  the  negroes  was  epitom 
ized  in  his  "  cast  down  your  bucket  where  you  are  "  speech. 

The  advent  of  Dr.  Washington  into  the  affairs  of  the 
country  can  hardly  be  said  to  have  any  direct  relationship  to 
the  colonization  movement,  except  that  his  ideas  were  advanced 
with  such  force  and  clarity  as  to  make  it  obvious  to  all  who 
heard  him  that  the  only  logical  thing  to  do  was  to  accept  the 
situation  as  it  presented  itself  and  work  out  the  solution  in  the 
simple  logical  way. 

The  colonization  movement  had  its  inception  years  before 
the  Civil  War  and  was  responsible  for  the  Republic  of  Liberia 
in  Africa  as  it  exists  to-day.  As  a  relative  subject  it  may  be 
briefly  stated  that  the  Colonization  Society  of  America  was 
organized  in  1817  with  a  view  to  providing  a  haven  for  the  free 
colored  people  of  America  in  Africa.  Several  attempts  were 
made  to  settle  such  a  colony  and  finally  in  1821  some  negro 
colonists  were  transported  to  what  is  now  Liberia. 

The  natives  of  the  far-away  territory  in  South  Africa  were 
hostile  to  the  new  comers  and  it  was  sometime  before  they 
could  be  subdued,  but  eventually  the  members  of  the  colony 
were  alloted  a  portion  of  land  approximating  thirty  acres  each 
and  provided  with  means  for  cultivating  it.  There  were  many 
difficulties,  but  in  spite  of  them  the  imported  negroes  proved 
their  ability  and  the  colony  grew.  Some  chiefs  of  the  black 
tribes  of  Africa  came  into  the  folds  and  brought  with  them 

218 


WIDESPREAD  INFLUENCES. 

their  almost  barbaric  followers  until  ultimately  there  came  to 
be  a  free  and  independent  State.  Churches  and  schools  were 
erected,  newspapers  were  established,  and  through  the  influence 
of  the  colony  slavery  was  abolished  in  the  neighboring  States. 

The  Liberian  constitution  is  framed  after  that  of  the 
United  States.  There  is  a  president,  vice  president  and  cabinet 
of  six  officers  with  senate  and  house  of  representatives,  and  the 
voters  must  be  of  negro  blood  and  property  owners. 

At  the  request  of  the  Black  Republic,  in  1909,  a  Commis 
sion  was  sent  to  the  country  by  the  United  States  to  report  on 
a  boundary  dispute  between  Liberia,  Great  Britian  and  France, 
and  to  also  make  a  survey  of  conditions  with  a  view  to  submit 
ting  suggestions  for  the  general  improvement. 

THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  A  DISPUTE. 

The  Commission  was  headed  by  Dr.  Roland  P.  Falkner, 
of  the  then  Immigration  Committee  of  the  United  States  Senate. 
Emmet  J.  Scott,  secretary  to  Dr.  Washington  and  for  the  Board 
of  Trustees  of  Tuskegee  Institute,  was  also  of  the  Commission, 
which  filed  a  report  that  formed  the  basis  for  a  settlement  of 
the  dispute.  Subsequently  other  difficulties  arose  and  finally 
through  the  offices  of  the  United  States  a  loan  was  made  to  the 
little  Republic  in  the  sum  of  $1,500,000  to  settle  its  indebted 
ness. 

During  the  reconstruction  period  after  the  war,  when,  par 
ticularly  in  the  South,  the  negroes  were  terrorized  by  the 
activities  of  such  organizations  as  the  historic  Kuklux,  previ 
ously  referred  to,  many  persons  advocated  the  transportation 
of  the  freed  to  Liberia,  or  some  other  place.  The  negro  was  a 
human  anomaly  in  the  matter  of  citizenship.  Legally  he  was 
a  freeman,  but  in  fact  he  was  a  man  without  a  country. 

It  was  while  the  negroes  were  chafing  under  the  yoke  of 


220  WIDESPREAD  INFLUENCES. 

prejudice  and  from  the  bitter  antagonism  of  some  of  the  ill- 
advised  and  hot-headed  people  of  the  South,  that  Dr.  Wash 
ington  stopped  their  restless  tendencies  by  developing  a  move 
ment  which  had  for  its  purpose  in  the  larger  sense  the  making 
of  a  permanent  home  for  the  members  of  the  race.  Dr.  Wash 
ington  advocated  home  building,  knowing  that  those  who  are 
land  owners  seldom  abandon  their  property.  They  stay  and 
face  the  difficulties  that  confront  them,  and  so  live  to  win. 

That  was  one  of  his  great  docrines — that  his  people  should 
become  affixed  to  the  soil,  and  his  auxiliary  educational  efforts, 
as  reflected  in  the  experimental  farm  work,  which  he  was 
largely  responsible  for  establishing  through  the  Black  Belt, 
make  this  point  obvious. 

WASHINGTON'S  INFLUENCE   ON  NEGRO  FARMERS. 

A  great  deal  of  what  has  been  accomplished  by  the  Fed 
eral  Department  of  Agriculture  in  the  South  may  be  traced  to 
the  influence  of  Dr.  Washington,  particularly  with  relation  to 
the  work  among  the  negro  farmers  and  in  the  cotton  States. 

The  farm  demonstration  work  of  the  Department  has  been 
carried  on  by  special  negro  agents,  numbering  in  the  neigh 
borhood  of  half  a  hundred,  who  go  about  from  farm  to  farm, 
directing  the  efforts  of  more  than  6,000  demonstrators  and 
others. 

Many  of  these  agents  and  innumerable  demonstrators  have 
been  students  of  Tuskegee  or  disciples  of  Dr.  Washington  in 
the  matter  of  industrial  training,  and  one  of  the  late  reports  of 
the  government  work  showed  that  many  thousands  of  farmers 
had  received  instruction  and  that  they  were  profiting  by  their 
lessons,  with  the  result  that  new  and  better  homes  were  being 
built,  barns  erected  and  thousands  of  dollars  invested  in  new 
farm  machinery. 


WIDESPREAD  INFLUENCES.  221 

It  is  in  connection  with  this  demonstration  work  that 
many  of  the  boys7  and  girls'  canning  and  corn  clnbs,  of  which 
much  has  been  written,  were  organized. 

Right  here  it  is  worth  making  the  comment,  on  the  sub 
ject  of  education,  that  so  far  as  material  evidence  of  progress 
among  the  negroes  is  concerned,  the  work  directed  by  Dr. 
Washington,  and  those  who  have  advocated  and  followed  his 
method  of  training,  has  produced  more  tangible  results  than 
all  the  academic  schooling  provided  for  the  negroes  put  together, 

AGE  OF   MATERIALISM. 

It  has  been  said  that  Dr.  Washington  was  too  material. 
But  this  is  an  age  of  materialism.  In  a  country  where  the  class 
distinction  is  closely  drawn,  where  there  are  landed  estates, 
there  may  be  a  measure  of  economic  assurance  guaranteed  to 
the  heirs  of  a  family  by  the  right  of  title.  And  the  Govern 
ment  protects  that  right. 

But  in  America  the  only  assurance  any  man  has  of  econ 
omic  independence  is  born  of  his  ability  to  care  for  that  which 
has  been  handed  down  to  him  or  to  acquire  property  through 
his  own  efforts.  It  behooves  him  then  to  so  train  himself  that 
he  is  prepared  to  meet  the  emergencies  and  accept  the  oppor 
tunities  which  arise  and  through  which  he  may  obtain  economic 
assurance.  And  that  was  one  of  the  purposes  of  Dr.  Washing 
ton's  method  of  training ;  to  establish  a  plan  of  training  which 
would  give  a  measure  of  economic  assurance  to  the  possessor 
of  that  training  and  through  it  give  him  and  win  for  him  self- 
respect. 

It  would  be  unfair  to  say  that  all  the  good  that  was  ac 
complished  in  education  for  the  negro  had  its  origin  with 
Booker  T.  Washington,  for  he  has  admitted  that  his  inspira 
tion  was  born  of  his  contact  with  General  Armstrong,  at 


222  WIDESPREAD  INFLUENCES. 

Hampton.  And  industrial  training  is  taught  at  many  other 
institutions  for  the  colored  people  besides  Hampton  and 
Tuskegee. 

Through  the  North  and  in  a  number  of  the  Southern 
States  efforts  were  made  to  educate,  in  a  desultory  sort  of  way, 
some  of  the  slaves,  even  before  the  war,  but  the  wonderful 
thing  about  Dr.  Washington's  institution  and  the  results  he 
achieved  is  that  he  accomplished  the  impossible  in  the  very 
centre  of  a  territory  where  even  after  the  black  man  was 
liberated  it  was  not  believed  it  worth  while  to  educate  him, 
and  where  in  a  large  measure,  before  the  war,  it  was  almost, 
if  not  quite,  a  crime  or  a  misdemeanor  to  teach  a  slave  to  read 
or  write. 

FIRST  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  IN  VIRGINIA. 

It  is  a  matter  of  historic  note  that  the  first  public  school 
seems  to  have  been  established  in  the  State  of  Virginia  about 
1620,  and  was  for  Indians  and  negroes  alike ;  which  is  signi 
ficant  in  view  of  the  fact  that  Hampton  Institute,  in  Virginia, 
was  the  first  industrial  school  designed  for  the  education  of 
the  negroes  and  Indians  together. 

One  of  the  early  attempts  to  provide  educational  facilities 
for  these  races  was  the  establishment  of  a  private  school  in 
New  York  City  by  Elias  Neau.  It  was  particularly  for  the 
instruction  of  negro  slaves.  Later  in  Charleston,  the  Society 
for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts  established 
a  school,  and  in  1750  the  Rev.  Thomas  Bacon,  an  ex-slave 
holder,  established  in  Talbot  County,  Maryland,  a  school  for 
poor  white  and  negro  children.  About  the  same  time,  in 
Philadelphia,  an  evening  school  for  negroes  was  established 
by  the  Quaker  abolitionist,  Anthony  Benezet,  while  in  1763 
a  manual  labor  school  for  Indians  and  negroes  was  established 
in  Hyde  County,  North  Carolina. 


WIDESPREAD  INFLUENCES.  223 

In  1786  the  New  York  African  Free  School,  which  subse. 
quently  became  the  first  public  school  in  New  York  City} 
was  established.  The  first  separate  school  for  colored  child 
ren  in  Massachusetts  was  established  in  Boston,  in  1798. 

In  1829  St.  Frances  Academy  for  Colored  Girls  was 
started  at  Baltimore  by  the  Oblate  Sisters  of  Providence,  a 
colored  woman's  society  in  the  Catholic  Church. 

ENDOWED  BY  FORMER  SLAVE-HOLDER. 

The  first  colored  school  for  negro  children  was  established 
in  Ohio  in  1820,  and  in  1837  what  is  now  the  Institute  for 
Colored  Youth  at  Cheyney,  Pa.,  near  Philadelphia,  was  started 
by  funds  ($10,000)  left  by  the  will  of  Richard  Humphries,  a 
former  slaveholder.  In  1849  Avery  College  was  established 
at  Allegheny,  Pa.,  at  which  time  it  is  recorded  that  Phila- 
delpia  had  a  number  of  schools  for  negroes,  with  about  1,800 
pupils  enrolled.  January  i,  1854,  Ashmun  Institute  was 
founded  by  the  Presbyterians  at  Hinsonville,  Chester  County, 
Pa.  Later,  about  1866,  the  name  was  changed  to  Lincoln 
University.  August  30,  1856,  Wilberforce  University  was 
started  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  as  a  school  for 
negroes,  and  the  loth  of  March,  1863,  it  was  sold  to  the 
African  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  since  has  been  the 
leading  educational  institution  of  this  denomination. 

Opposition  to  the  teaching  of  slaves  apparently  began  in 
South  Carolina,  where  in  1740  a  law  was  passed  prohibiting 
them  from  being  taught  "writing  in  any  manner  whatsoever." 
The  laws  of  the  slave  states  were  gradually  extended  until 
they  included  free  persons  of  color,  as  in  1829  Georgia  passed 
a  law  forbidding  any  person  of  color  from  receiving  instruction 
from  any  source.  In  spite  of  this  fact,  however,  many  clandes 
tine  schools  were  conducted  in  such  Southern  cities  as 
Charleston,  Savannah  and  New  Orleans. 


224  WIDESPREAD  INFLUENCES. 

In  the  North  it  is  a  matter  of  historic  interest  that 
Prudence  Crandall,  a  Quaker  teacher,  was  mobbed  at  Canter 
bury,  Conn.,  for  opening  a  school  for  negro  children.  The 
state  subsequently  passed  a  law  making  it  an  offense  to  open 
negro  schools,  and  in  1835  a  school  in  the  State  of  New 
Hampshire — the  Noyes  Academy — was  pulled  out  of  the 
community  by  a  mob  of  citizens  employing  a  hundred  yoke  of 
oxen  to  do  the  work. 

During  the  Civil  War  and  afterwards  the  American 
Missionary  originated  the  school  which  was  destined  to  inspire 
the  great  Dr.  Washington.  The  school  was  started  at  Fortress 
Monroe,  and  laid  the  foundation  for  Hampton  Institute,  as 
was  early  noted  in  these  pages.  Other  schools  at  this  period 
and  a  little  later  were  established  at  Portsmouth,  Norfolk  and 
Newport  News,  Virginia ;  Newbern  and  Roanoke  Island, 
North  Carolina,  and  Port  Royal,  South  Carolina.  In  1862, 
Col.  John  Eaton,  at  the  order  of  General  Grant,  assumed  the 
general  supervision  of  Freedmen  in  Arkansas  and  schools 
were  immediately  established.  After  the  Emancipation  Pro 
clamation,  issued  January  i,  1863,  negro  schools  multiplied  in 
all  parts  of  the  South  occupied  by  the  Federal  armies.  General 
Banks  established  the  first  public  schools  in  Louisiana. 

After  the  War  the  education  of  the  negro  was  largely 
directed  by  the  Freedman's  Bureau,  which  was  established  in 
March,  1865.  Its  operations  continued  until  1870,  at  which 
time  it  had  under  its  control  more  than  2600  schools  with  a 
total  membership  of  nearly  150,000  colored  children. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
A  LESSON   IN  HISTORY. 

THE  life  of  Dr.  Washington  is  so  irrevocably  linked  to  the 
history  of  slavery,  in  which  he  was  born,  and  of  the 
Nation,  in  which  he  became  a  leading  figure,  that  as  a 
matter  of  important  relationship  for  those  seeking  informa 
tion,  some  brief  historical  facts  are  interpolated  regarding  slav 
ery  in  this  country,  and  the  negro  race  from  the  beginning  of 
time. 

Of  the  four  great  primary  divisions  of  the  human  race,  the 
Aryan,  Mongolian,  Semitic,  and  Hamitic,  there  are  three  that 
preserve  their  racial  type  and  have  little  changed  by  inter-mix 
tures.  These  are  the  Semitic,  or  Jews;  the  Hamitic,  or  Afri 
cans,  and  the  Mongolians,  or  Chinese. 

The  Aryan  division,  spreading  out  from  the  Caucasus 
Mountains  by  way  of  India,  and  thence  westward,  became  split 
up  into  a  hundred  different  races,  with  varying  peculiarities 
and  racial  differences,  becoming  as  they  are  to-day  English, 
German,  French,  Irish,  Scotch,  Swedes,  Finns,  Russians,  Hin 
dus,  and  a  hundred  other  varying  races  that  have  intermingled 
until  the  Aryan  designation  as  a  division  of  the  human  race  is 
entirely  lost. 

These  split  Aryan  races  have  become  centralized  in  the 
United  States,  where  they  are  continuing  their  intermingling, 
and  getting  farther  away  from  the  Aryan  type. 

On  the  contrary,  the  three  other  divisions,  the  Jews,  the 
Africans,  and  the  Chinese,  have  maintained  during  all  the  ages 
since  their  creation,  their  original  characteristics,  with  oaly 

15-W  225 


226  A  LESSON  IN  HISTORY. 

slight  intermixtures,  so  slight,  indeed,  that  they  are  barely  noti 
ceable. 

Historically,  the  races  that  make  up  the  Aryan  splits  are 
a  mere  breath  on  the  surface  of  the  ages  of  time,  when  com 
pared  with  the  other  three  divisions  of  the  human  race.  Long 
before  the  ancestors  of  many  of  them  composed  the  barbarian 
hordes  that  thundered  at  the  gates  of  the  Roman  capital,  and 
finally  effaced  it  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  the  Jew,  the  African, 
and  the  Chinaman  were  in  possession  of  the  evidences  of  high 
civilization,  wise  government,  and  splendid  monuments,  and  cul 
tivated  the  arts  of  peace.  The  Aryan  posterity,  on  the  other 
hand,  were  warlike,  and  became  conquerors  of  the  others,  appro 
priating  their  arts,  and  are  still  digging  among  the  ancient 
ruins  of  splendid  empires,  wondering  what  manner  of  people 
could  have  perfected  such  noble  works. 

WARLIKE  ARYAN  BLOOD. 

All  the  races  had  many  forward  and  backward  movements, 
with  the  dominance  always  with  the  warlike  Aryan  blood. 

But  to-day,  in  the  United  States,  the  Hamitic,  the  African 
if  you  please,  has  found  and  utilized  the  civilizing  arts  of  the 
Aryan,  and  is  moving  upward  toward  the  pinnacle  of  the  same 
civilization  which  is  essentially  modern  and  original,  and  which 
retains  the  ancient  civilization  of  the  other  three  great  divisions 
of  the  human  family  in  its  museums  as  objects  of  curosity  and 
admiration.  At  the  same  time  he  is  maintaining  his  racial 
unity. 

There  is  no  going  back  now.  There  can  be  nothing  but 
advance  toward  progress  and  higher  civilization ;  that  is,  in  the 
more  adequate  and  efficient  means  of  making  the  burden  of  life 
more  enjoyable  and  easier. 

In  one  thing  only  is  there  doubt  as  to  our  progress,  and  that 


A  LESSON  IN  HISTORY.  227 

is  in  human  development  and  racial  perfection.  The  scientists 
and  thinkers  of  the  age  are  impressed  with  the  fact  that  there 
is  degeneracy,  or  at  least  "  recession,"  as  it  is  termed,  which 
means  a  going  back  to  some  unknown  evil  type  that  will  operate 
disastrously  upon  civilization,  morals  and  general  well-being 
of  individuals. 

By  a  remarkable  unanimity  of  opinion,  these  marks  of  re 
cession  and  degeneracy,  sometimes  called  "  delinquency/'  are 
limited  to  the  posterity  of  the  Aryan  type.  Superhuman  efforts 
are  making  to  avert  catastrophe  by  what  is  known  as  "  selec 
tion;"  that  is,  by  limiting  intermarriages  to  those  who  shall  have 
been  declared  physically  and  mentally  capable  of  assuming  the 
marriage  state.  But  the  question  is  raised  whether  this  will  add 
anything  to  the  strength  of  the  race  as  a  whole.  In  any  event 
there  can  be  no  reversion  to  ancestral  type,  because  the  ancestor 
himself  is  mixed,  and  there  is  no  pure  strain  to  culture  up  to. 

EASY  TO  MAKE  SELECTION. 

But  with  the  African  it  is  different,  because  the  type  re 
mains  as  it  was  in  the  beginning,  and  it  is  therefore  easy  to 
make  selection.  There  is,  as  the  matter  now  stands,  little  in 
the  way  of  the  negro's  progress,  and  in  considering  the  future 
that  lies  before  the  colored  man  in  America,  two  things  must  be 
borne  in  mind : 

First:  That  the  advance  of  the  world  and  of  nations  to 
ward  harmonious  action  and  unity  of  motives  is  purely  of  the 
mind  and  soul  and  not  of  the  material  things  of  life.  And 
second,  as  to  the  world's  progess  the  Colored  Americans  of 
the  United  States  occupy  a  prominent  position  in  the  vanguard 
with  the  other  divisions  of  the  human  race,  all  of  whom  are  mov 
ing  in  the  same  direction  toward  carrying  out  the  Divine  plan 
of  bringing  all  nations  into  one  fold. 


228  A  LESSON  IN  HISTORY. 

In  July,  1912,  there  was  held  in  London,  England,  a  great 
congress  of  the  races  of  the  world,  including  all  the  dark  races 
or  their  representatives.  In  fact,  fifty  different  races  were 
represented  by  their  leading  men,  consisting  of  over  thirty  pres 
idents  of  parliaments,  the  members  of  the  permanent  court  of 
arbitration  and  of  the  delegates  to  the  Second  Hague  Confer 
ence,  twelve  British  governors  and  eight  British  premiers,  over 
forty  Colonial  Bishops,  a  hundred  and  thirty  professors  of  inter 
national  law,  the  leading  students  of  mankind,  and  other  scien 
tific  men  of  the  world. 

When  Lord  Weardale  opened  the  first  session  of  this  con 
gress,  he  looked  into  the  faces  of  a  thousand  people  representing 
fifty  different  races  of  men,  and  said: 

A  VISTA  OF   PROMISE. 

"To  those  who  regard  the  furtherance  of  international 
good-will  and  peace  as  the  highest  of  all  human  interests,  this 
First  Universal  Races  Congress  opens  a  vista  of  almost  bound 
less  promise. 

"  Nearer  and  nearer  we  see  approaching  the  day  when  the 
caste  population  of  the  East  will  assert  their  claim  to  meet  on 
terms  of  equality  the  nations  of  the  West ;  when  the  free  insti 
tutions  and  the  organized  forces  of  the  one  hemisphere  will  have 
their  counterbalance  in  the  other ;  when  their  mental  outlook  and 
their  social  aims  will  be  in  principle  identical;  when  in  short 
the  color  prejudice  will  have  vanished  and  the  so-called  '  white 
races  '  and  the  so-called  '  colored  races,'  shall  no  longer  meet  in 
missionary  exposition,  but  in  very  fact,  regard  one  another  as  in 
truth  men  and  brothers." 

Now  and  then  in  the  discussion  of  the  negro  some  student 
stands  forth,  and  in  his  efforts  to  open  the  minds  of  the  members 
of  the  black  race  to  the  possibilities  which  lie  before  them,  points 


A  LESSON  IN  HISTORY.  229 

to  the  fact  that  they  are  descendants  of  a  race  as  worthy  of  honor 
among  the  peoples  of  the  world  as  any  other.  But  few  know 
anything  about  the  origin  of  the  black  man  of  the  United  States, 
from  which  Dr.  Washington  came  forth  an  uncrowned  king. 
It  seems  to  be  a  fact  that  while  the  Anglo-Saxons,  Celts, 
Scandinavians,  Germans  and  others  wore  skin  coats,  devoured 
their  food  raw,  lived  in  caverns,  and  were  busily  engaged  in 
cutting  one  another's  throats  over  dry  bones,  the  ancestors  of  the 
colored  people  of  the  United  States  were  enjoying  the  highest 
arts  of  civilization,  lived  in  palaces,  and  erected  magnificent 
specimens  of  wonderful  architecture,  and  behaved  generally 
like  civilized  people. 

RECENT  AND  AUTHENTIC  DISCOVERIES. 

Recent  and  authentic  discoveries  in  Africa  have  brought 
to  light  through  monuments  and  other  evidences  that  the  Ham- 
itic  race  played  a  very  important  part  in  the  first  stages  of  the 
world's  history.  There  are  modern  records,  which,  together 
with  the  great  number  of  monuments  of  great  antiquity,  demon 
strate  without  the  shadow  of  a  doubt  that  the  African  civiliza 
tion  of  the  Hamitic  race  was  older  than  the  most  ancient 
history  recorded  of  the  Egyptians,  going  back  centuries  before 
the  birth  of  Moses. 

It  even  appears  that  Egypt  took  its  civilization  from  Eth 
iopia,  the  black  empire  south  of  it,  and  that  the  black  nations 
of  certain  regions  on  the  continent  of  Africa  were  not  races  in 
their  infancy,  but  the  descendants  of  a  powerful  civilization 
gradually  broken  by  misfortunes  and  disastrous  wars  against 
it. 

The  Egyptians  always  contended  that  their  forefathers 
learned  their  arts  and  largely  received  their  laws  from  the 
black  empire  farther  south.  Throughout  the  pages  of  Homer, 


230  A  LESSON  IN  HISTORY. 

the  Ethiopians  are  spoken  of  with  great  respect,  as  the  friends 
of  the  gods,  the  "  blameless  Ethiopians >:  being  a  common 
phrase. 

The  great  Greek  historian,  Herodotus,  who  has  been  charg 
ed  with  drawing  upon  his  imagination  in  his  accounts  of  Africa, 
is  demonstrated  to  have  been  to  a  great  degree  truthful;  his 
stories  about  the  ancient  Ethiopian  Empire,  south  of  Egypt 
being  verified  in  many  respects  by  the  finding  of  monuments  and 
ruins. 

The  writing  of  the  people  of  the  Black  Empire  is  similar 
to  that  of  the  Egyptians,  and  inscriptions  on  the  monuments  that 
have  been  deciphered  make  it  appear  that  Piankhi,  the  black 
king,  conquered  Egypt  750  B.  C.,  while  the  carvings  in  the  exca 
vated  ruins  show  men  and  women  unmistakably  negro. 

A  REVERSE  SUPPOSITION  PREVAILS. 

It  had  been  supposed  that  civilization  in  its  growth  went  up 
the  Nile  river.  Now  it  seems  that  it  came  down  the  Nile,  from 
Ethiopia  to  Egypt,  instead  of  Egypt  to  Ethiopia.  When  Cam- 
byses,  king  of  Persia,  conquered  Egypt  six  hundred  years  before 
the  Christian  era,  he  sought  to  arrange  an  expedition  against 
the  Black  Empire  of  the  south,  stories  concerning  the  wealth  of 
which  had  been  told.  He  sent  gifts  to  the  Black  King.  It  was 
said  that  there  was  a  spot  called  "  The  Table  of  the  Sun,"  where 
the  magistrates  every  night  put  provisions  so  that  every  one  who 
was  hungry  might  come  in  the  morning  and  help  himself. 

The  history  further  relates  that  the  Black  King,  Nat  Nas- 
tasen,  received  the  envoys  of  Cambyses,  and  besides  showing 
them  the  "  Table  of  the  Sun/'  took  them  to  the  prisons  where  the 
prisoners  wore  fetters  of  gold.  Cambyses  was  so  impressed  by 
these  stories  of  wealth  that  he  made  war  on  the  Black  Empire 
to  get  gold,  but  failed  to  conquer. 


A  LESSON  IN  HISTORY.  231 

In  any  event  it  is  very  clearly  stated  in  the  Bible — Acts  of 
the  Apostles,  8th  chapter,  26th  and  2/th  verses:  "And  the 
angel  of  the  Lord  spake  unto  Philip,  saying,  arise,  and  go  toward 
the  south  unto  the  way  that  goeth  down  from  Jerusalem  unto 
Gaza,  which  is  desert.  And  he  arose  and  went;  and,  behold, 
a  man  of  Ethiopa,  an  eunuch  of  great  authority  under  Candace, 
queen  of  the  Ethiopians,  who  had  charge  of  all  her  treasure,  and 
had  come  to  Jerusalem  for  to  worship." 

Later  it  appears  that  the  treasurer  of  Queen  Candace  was 
baptized  and  went  his  way  rejoicing.  It  seems  that  there  must 
have  been  several  Queens  known  as  Candace,  one  of  whose 
prowess  was  so  great  that  tales  of  her  spread  to  Greece. 

NEGRO  WILL  MAKE  HIS  WAY. 

These  historic  facts  are  merely  given  in  brief  to  show  that 
the  black  man,  by  very  reason  of  his  long  line  of  descent,  may  be 
expected  under  proper  environment  to  make  his  way  among  the 
white  races.  There  have  been  many  discoveries  to  verify  the 
claims  that  some  of  the  black  race  had  a  high  order  of  civiliza 
tion,  and  it  is  a  historical  fact  that  the  Nubians  conquered  Egypt 
and  the  set  the  pace  for  good  government  among  them. 

For  thousands  of  years  the  black  men  were  exploited  in 
Africa  and  Asia,  as  slaves,  and  history  reveals  many  stories  of 
their  loyalty  and  bravery. 

For  the  purposes  of  this  brief  digression,  the  records  of 
slavery  in  America  are  confined  simply  to  the  following  notes, 
which  mark  the  history  of  the  race  which  gave  the  world  Booker 
T.  Washington. 

The  first  slaves  came  to  the  Western  hemisphere  from 
Spain,  being  the  property  of  Spanish  slave  holders.  This  was 
about  the  year  1500.  A  few  years  later,  or  about  thirteen 
years  after  Columbus  discovered  America,  King  Ferdinand 


232  A  LESSON  IN  HISTORY. 

of  Spain  sent  slaves  to  Hispaniola.  Again  he  sent  some  in  1 5 10, 
when  direct  traffic  in  slaves  was  established  between  Guinea  and 
Hispaniola,  and  when  Balboa  planted  his  flag  on  the  Pacific  coast 
he  is  said  to  have  had  with  him  thirty  negroes  who  helped  him 
build  the  first  ship  constructed  on  the  coast  of  America. 

Later  Charles  V,  of  Spain,  who  was  also  Emperor  of 
Germany  and  the  Netherlands,  granted  the  Flemish  noblemen 
the  right  to  import  several  thousand  negroes  annually  to  Hispan 
iola,  Cuba,  Jamaica  and  other  ports. 

SLAVES  ACCOMPANIED  CORTEZ. 

In  1522  three  hundred  slaves  are  said  to  have  accom 
panied  Cortez  in  his  conquest  of  Mexico,  and  it  was  said  that 
negro  slaves  founded  the  town  of  Santiago  del  Principe,  after 
they  rebelled  against  their  Spanish  masters.  A  number  of 
slaves  were  also  with  Vasques  de  Allyon,  when  an  attempt  was 
made  to  establish  a  settlement  on  the  coast  of  what  is  now  said  to 
be  a  part  of  North  and  South  Carolina,  and  it  is  certain  that  a 
number  of  negro  slaves  were  in  the  expedition  of  De  Narvaez 
in  his  Florida  conquest.  The  expedition  was  not  a  success  and 
many  members  died.  Those  who  survived  were  captured  by 
the  Indians,  but  one  of  them,  a  slave  named  Estevancio,  with  a 
couple  of  companions,  wandered  over  Texas  and  Mexico  for 
a  number  of  years,  until  in  July,  1856,  he  reached  the  city  of 
Mexico.  Two  years  later  he  led  an  expedition  from  Mexico, 
and  discovered  what  is  now  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  and  was 
killed  at  Cibola,  in  New  Mexico.  He  is  said  to  have  been  the  first 
member  of  an  alien  race  to  visit  the  Pueblos. 

In  the  expedition  of  De  Soto  were  negro  slaves,  one  of 
whom  is  said  to  have  settled  in  Alabama.  So  also,  negroes  are 
supposed  to  have  accompanied  other  expeditions  of  the  Span 
iards,  but  the  importation  of  slaves  from  Africa  to  America  is 


A  LESSON  IN  HISTORY.  233 

credited  to  the  English.  It  is  a  matter  of  historic  record  that 
Pedro  Menendez  de  Aviles  had  a  number  of  negro  slaves  when 
he  founded  St.  Augustine,  Florida,  that  they  were  brought  from 
Spain,  and  that  they  were  trained  in  the  mechanical  pursuits 
and  in  tilling  the  soil. 

The  first  African  slaves  that  could  be  construed  to  enter  in 
to  what  is  now  the  negro  citizenship  of  the  United  States  were 
landed  at  Jamestown,  Va.,  in  1619,  from  a  Dutch  vessel.  There 
were  twenty  slaves,  and  it  is  historically  reported  that  the 
master  of  the  vessel  sought  provisions  in  exchange  for  his  cargo. 

It  has  taken  America,  as  a  whole,  three  centuries  to  reach 
the  decision  that  such  black  men  and  women  as  were  on  that 
first  little  slave  boat  were  really  human  beings,  and  the  one  who 
perhaps  more  than  any  other  individual  in  the  history  of  the 
country  brought  about  the  realization  in  its  fullest  sense,  was 
a  descendant  of  those  early  slaves,  born  near  and  educated  with 
in  sight  of  the  spot  where  that  first  slave  vessel  made  its  land 
ing. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 
SOME  PERSONAL  REMINISCENCES. 

IT  is  impossible  to  view  Dr.  Washington  through  the  eyes  of 
those  who  came  in  contact  with  him  in  an  intimate  way 
without  recognizing  the  fact  that  this  man  who  grew  out  of 
slavery  was  a  most  extraordinary  person  in  very  many  respects. 
"  The  text  of  my  sermon  is  Booker  T.  Washington/'  said 
one  prominent  Philadelphia  divine  in  eulogizing  the  negro  educa 
tor  at  a  meeting  held  to  honor  his  memory,  "  for  his  whole  life 


was  a  sermon.' 


It  has  been  said  that  he  did  more  than  any  other  man  to 
overcome  the  prejudices  against  the  members  of  his  race,  and 
to  establish  a  neighborly  feeling — a  sort  of  fellowship  between 
the  negroes  and  the  white  people  in  the  South. 

But  analysis  of  Dr.  Washington's  work,  and  the  estimates 
of  him  made  by  those  counted  his  intimates,  make  it  apparent 
that  he  won  recognition  as  a  practical  economist;  that  however 
much  his  theories  may  have  been  questioned,  opposition  could 
not  stand  against  the  successful  putting  into  practice  of  those 
theories  and  that  mere  arguments  and  objections  cannot  stand 
in  the  way  of  results.  His  life  exemplified  the  truism  "  nothing 
succeeds  like  success." 

The  changes  which  have  marked  the  development  of  the 
negro  along  the  lines  pointed  by  Dr.  Washington  can  be  noted 
on  almost  every  hand,  and  the  spirit  that  has  been  shown  in  the 
gatherings  held  to  pay  tribute  to  his  memory  have  particu 
larly  made  the  changing  attitude  on  the  part  of  one  race  toward 
the  other  noticeable. 

"  Twenty  years  ago,"  said  John  Wanamaker  in  Philadel 
phia,  while  addressing  one  of  the  memorial  meetings  at  which 

234 


SOME  PERSONAL  REMINISCENCES.         235 

negroes  and  caucasions  were  assembled  together,  "  I  heard 
Booker  T.  Washington  deliver  a  speech  which  interested  me, 
as  all  of  his  talks  did.  I  asked  him  to  take  dinner  with  me,  but 
as  conditions  at  that  time  were  not  particularly  favorable  to 
complete  freedom  of  action  on  the  part  of  members  of  his  race, 
I  asked  the  management  of  the  place  where  we  were  to  dine, 
whether  there  would  be  any  objections  to  my  having  Dr.  Wash 
ington  at  my  table.  He  said  there  was  not  and  Dr.  Wash 
ington  sat  there  with  members  of  my  family. 

"  There  was  not  the  slightest  demonstration  on  the  part  of 
any  of  those  in  the  dining  room  or  about  the  place  until  after 
we  left,  when  I  noted  some  '  boohin '  by  those  outside  who 
watched  our  departure. 

PERFECTLY  ROUNDED  MAN. 

"  Little  did  Dr.  Washington  think — nor  did  I — that  there 
would  come  a  time  when  there  should  be  such  a  meeting  as  this, 
but  who  can  tell  from  a  man's  beginning  what  will  be  his  ulti 
mate  end.  I  care  not  from  what  race  or  nationality  he  sprung, 
there  could  be  no  more  perfectly  rounded  man  than  Booker  T. 
Washington." 

Again,  after  crossing  the  Atlantic  ocean  with  Dr.  Washing 
ton,  and  traveling  with  him  through  Europe,  Edward  Marshall, 
the  newspaper  correspondent,  reflects  the  same  idea,  through 
the  word  of  Ex-Senator  Sewall,  of  New  Jersey,  who  was  on  the 
steamship  which  carried  Dr.  Washington  and  Mr.  Marshall 
abroad. 

Writing  of  Dr.  Washington  in  the  Columbia  Magazine 
Mr.  Marshall  said :  "  General  Sewall  was  not  an  emotional  nor 
an  enthusiastic  man.  His  manner  toward  men  of  all  sorts  was 
rather  coldly  critical  than  otherwise,  but  after  he  had  heard 
Washington  say  a  few  words  in  the  nature  of  an  address,  he 


236         SOME  PERSONAL  REMINISCENCES. 

turned  to  me  and  whispered : '  We  have  heard  a  Moses  speak — a 
real  Moses — a  great  leader.  Emancipation  only  freed  the  bodies 
of  the  colored  people.  This  man  is  freeing  the  shackled  minds 
of  the  whole  race/ 

While  the  question  of  who  would  succeed  Dr.  Washington 
as  the  head  of  the  institution  he  builded  was  being  discussed 
throughout  the  land,  one  of  the  great  educator's  students 
and  admirers  drew  forth  this  vivid  picture  of  the  difference  be 
tween  the  policy  which  Dr.  Washington  fixed  for  the  guidance 
of  the  members  of  his  race  and  that  policy  by  some  of  his  critics 
who  favored  the  education  of  the  negro  along  academic  lines. 

MUST  BEGIN  ON  THE  GROUND  FLOOR. 

"The  difference  between  Dr.  Washington  and  these 
others,"  said  the  student,  "  is  that  Dr.  Washington  looked  upon 
life  as  sort  of  a  sixteen-story  building,  to  reach  the  top  of  which 
the  negro  must  begin  at  the  ground  floor  and  go  up  in  an  eleva 
tor,  or  climb  the  stairs;  the  others  seem  to  think  that  there  is 
some  way  by  which  the  negro  can  walk  right  off  the  street  into 
the  sixteenth  floor  of  life's  building." 

One  of  the  most  enlightening  contributions  to  contemporan 
eous  literature  relating  to  the  head  of  Tuskegee  was  that  of 
Timothy  Thomas  Fortune,  who  was  appointed  by  Dr.  Washing 
ton  to  serve  as  chairman  of  the  committee  originally  formed  to 
effect  the  Negro  Business  League,  which  held  its  first  session 
in  Boston.  Mr.  Fortune,  whose  home  is  in  New  York,  was  sub 
sequently  chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  organiza 
tion  and  traveled  extensively  in  close  relation  to  Dr.  Washing 
ton.  In  a  signed  article  in  the  New  York  Sun,  Mr.  Fortune 
paints  a  vivid  pen  picture : 

"  Dr.  Booker  T.  Washington  was  a  many  sided  man. 
He  was  at  home  with  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men,  from  the 


SOME  PERSONAL  REMINISCENCES.          237 

President  to  the  poorest  black  man  in  the  shabbiest  log  cabin 
in  the  South.  In  whatever  society,  in  whatever  situation  he 
found  himself,  he  seemed  to  be  perfectly  at  ease  and  without 
restraint. 

"  And  yet  he  was  the  most  unsociable  of  men.  He  did 
not  care  for  or  cultivate  the  social  side  of  life.  He  lived  mostly 
with  himself,  even  when  surrounded  by  others,  and  preferred 
always  to  listen  to  the  conversation  of  others  than  to  talk.  This 
trait  enabled  him  to  learn  all  there  was  to  know  of  a  person  or 
a  community  by  asking  questions  in  the  most  diplomatic  and 
persistent  way. 

DISGUISED  HIS  QUESTION. 

"  If  he  were  asked  a  direct  question  he  did  not  want 
to  answer  he  would  seem  to  answer  it  without  doing  so,  and  then 
ask  the  person  the  same  question,  so  disguised  as  not  to  be 
recognizable.  When  he  got  the  other  man  to  answering  he  would 
keep  at  it  until  he  had  learned  all  that  he  desired  to  know*  Then 
he  would  change  the  subject,  or  separate  himself  in  some  way 
from  the  person. 

"  Dr.  Washington  was  on  friendly  terms  with  most  of  the 
prominent  white  men  of  Alabama,  most  of  whom  thought  well 
of  him  and  his  work,  and  many  of  whom  he  was  able  to  serve 
in  a  helpful  way.  General  Joseph  Wheeler  was  one  of  these 
men.  On  one  occasion,  two  years  after  the  Spanish-Ameri 
can  war,  General  Wheeler  wrote  an  article  for  a  New  York 
newspaper  that  Dr.  Washington  considered  very  unjust  to  the 
negro  people.  The  Monday  following  the  publication  of  it  Dr. 
Washington  entered  a  chair  car  in  Jersey  City  for  Washington. 
He  had  hardly  seated  himself  before  General  Wheeler  entered 
the  car  and  was  shown  to  his  seat.  He  then  went  directly  to 
Dr.  Washington's  seat. 


238         SOME  PERSONAL  REMINISCENCES. 

"  Dr.  Washington  and  I  stood  up,  facing  the  little  soldier, 
and  he  introduced  me  to  him.  I  sat  down.  General  Wheeler 
seemed  very  much  disquieted  and  Dr.  Washington  had  entered 
the  car  in  a  tired  and  nervous  condition.  Without  asking 
him  what  he  thought  of  the  article  he  had  written,  General 
Wheeler  began  to  explain  the  reason  for  his  writing  it,  and  Dr. 
Washington  grew  more  nervous  and  restive  as  the  explanation 
proceeded.  Soon  after  we  passed  Trenton,  Dr.  Washington, 
who  had  been  standing  and  listening  to  the  General  for  an  hour, 
excused  himself  and  went  toward  the  smoking  end  of  the  car. 
General  Wheeler  took  his  own  seat  and  was  soon  buried  in 
his  favorite  newspaper.  He  got  off  at  Philadelphia,  and  seemed 
to  have  forgotten  that  he  had  met  Dr.  Washington  and  had  not 
finished  talking  to  him. 

VERY  INTERESTING  CHARACTER. 

"  After  leaving  Elkton  I  went  forward  to  find  Dr.  Wash 
ington,  but  he  was  nowhere  in  sight.  I  asked  the  porter  if  he 
knew  where  he  was,  and  he  said  he  had  gone  into  one  of  the 
drawing  rooms  after  leaving  General  Wheeler  and  was  fast 
asleep.  We  were  approaching  Baltimore  before  Dr.  Washing 
ton  emerged  from  the  drawing  room.  '  General  Wheeler  is 
a  very  interesting  character/  he  remarked,  and  said  no  more 
until  we  reached  Washington. 

"  Dr.  Washington  wrought  a  revolution  in  the  habits  and 
condition  of  the  negro  farmers  of  Macon  County  through  the 
medium  of  the  Tuskegee  Farmers  Conference,  which  was  held 
annually,  but  he  wrought  it  for  the  most  part  by  introducing 
the  farmers  and  their  habits  and  conditions  to  themselves.  In 
the  conferences  points  of  order  were  not  allowed,  neither  were 
long  talks.  Five  minutes  was  the  time  limit  for  each  farmer. 
When  he  had  read  his  little  paper  or  made  his  little  talk,  Dr. 


SOME  PERSONAL  REMINISCENCES.         239 

Washington  would  take  him  in  hand,  and,  by  diplomatic  ques 
tioning,  draw  out  of  him  all  about  himself  and  his  affairs  and 
those  of  his  neighbors  worth  knowing. 

"When  once  the  conference  opened  at  10  o'clock  in  the 
morning  there  was  no  hold  up  or  recess  until  late  in  the  after 
noon,  and  when  the  conference  finally  adjourned  everybody 
who  had  attended  it  would  know  all  about  his  own  affairs  and 
those  of  his  neighbors,  but  none  of  them  knew  more  than  Dr. 
Washington  himself.  This  was  one  of  the  chief  sources  from 
which  he  derived  his  intimate  knowledge  of  the  condition  and 
aspiration  of  the  people  of  his  race.  He  got  it  from  them  in 
these  conferences  by  questioning  them  face  to  face.  He  turned 
the  conference  into  an  experience  meeting  at  its  inception,  and  it 
remained  one,  largely,  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

KNEW  THEIR  WANTS  AND  ASPIRATIONS. 

"  The  Business  League,  which  was  started  in  Boston,  in 
1890,  and  of  which  Dr.  Washington  was  the  only  president  it 
ever  had,  was  another  of  the  sources  from  which  he  derived 
an  intimate  knowledge  of  his  people  and  their  wants  and  aspira 
tions.  During  many  years  the  experience  meeting  principle 
was  strictly  observed  in  the  proceedings  of  the  league ;  but  some 
three  or  four  years  ago  the  growth  of  the  membership  in  num 
bers  and  intelligence  and  wealth  made  it  necessary  to  adopt  the 
plan  of  department  work,  each  department  with  its  own  working 
force,  the  chairman  making  an  annual  report  to  the  general 
body.  In  this  way  all  of  the  trades,  professions  and  business 
enterprises  are  kept  together  and  at  work  all  of  the  year,  and  are 
able  to  exert  the  greatest  influence  and  obtain  the  best  and  most 
accurate  information  necessary. 

"  It  took  many  years  of  meeting  and  catechising  to  bring 
the  league  membership  up  to  this  point  of  systematic  and  me- 


240         SOME  PERSONAL  REMINISCENCES. 

thodical  work.  After  fifteen  years  of  tireless  work  Dr.  Wash 
ington  made  the  National  Negro  Business  League  one  of  the 
strongest  and  most  helpful  organizations  the  Afro-American 
people  ever  had.  ,The  splendid  business  growth  since  the  organ 
ization  of  the  league  is  due  almost  entirely  to  Dr.  Washington's 
peculiar  facility  of  making  them  see  their  deficiencies  and  needs 
by  talking  about  them  in  open  meeting  and  inviting  suggestions 
from  them  as  to  how  their  conditions  could  be  changed  for 
the  better.  He  seldom  volunteered  to  make  a  suggestion  to 
them  except  by  insinuating  the  answer  in  his  questions. 

VERY  COURAGEOUS  MAN. 

"  Besides  the  knack  of  getting  out  of  people  all  that  he  de 
sired  for  his  own  information  and  their  good,  Dr.  Washington 
was  a  very  courageous  man  with  an  abounding  appreciation 
of  the  humorous  and  ridiculous,  although  he  seldom  smiled  and 
was  unable  to  laugh  as  other  people  do.  His  eyes  would  dance 
and  sparkle  when  he  was  amused,  but  his  lips  would  only  twitch 
in  a  funny  sort  of  way,  and  his  laugh  would  bubble  out  somewhat 
as  a  big  sneeze.  His  eyes  were  long,  like  those  of  a  Chinaman, 

• 

and  appeared  never  to  be  in  a  state  of  repose,  darting  here  and 
there,  and  seeming  to  concentrate  upon  nothing;  but  he  saw 
everything,  made  mental  note  of  it,  put  it  to  use  in  its  place  at 
the  proper  time.  And  he  never  seemed  to  be  in  a  hurry. 

"  Dr.  Washington  had  no  delusions  about  his  leadership  of 
the  Afro- American  people.  He  knew  that  he  had  acquired  it 
without  their  consent  by  the  character  of  the  work  he  did  as  an 
educator  and  mediator  between  them  and  the  white  hostile 
public  opinion  of  the  Southern  States.  His  right  to  speak 
for  his  race  was  hotly  contested  for  fourteen  years  after  he 
began  work  at  Tuskegee  Institute  and  until  his  memorable  ad 
dress  at  the  Atlanta  Cotton  States  and  International  Exposi- 


SOME  PERSONAL  REMINISCENCES.         241 

tion  in  1895,  when  the  responsible  newspapers  of  the  country 
proclaimed  his  leadership.  Then  the  greater  part  of  his  people 
sided  with  him,  leaving  an  educated  minority  to  oppose  him, 
with  Dr.  E.  B.  D.  Du  Bois,  now  editor  of  the  Crisis  and  a  mov 
ing  spirit  in  Mr.  Oswald  Garrison  Villard's  Association  for 
the  Advancement  of  the  Colored  People,  as  leader.  Most  of 
these  people  are  college  trained  men,  whom  Dr.  Washington 
characterized  as  dreamers  of  things  rather  than  doers  of 
things.  Boston  was  the  hotbed  of  this  opposition  and  remained 
so  until  the  death  of  Dr.  Washington. 

GRAND  AND  IMPOSING. 

"  Some  time  after  President  Taft  had  begun  to  consult  Dr. 
Washington  about  all  sorts  of  matters  relating  to  his  race  and 
Dr.  Washington  had  recommended  many  Southern  white  men 
for  Federal  appointments  the  discontent  in  Boston  grew  in  ran 
cor  and  volume  and  begun  to  worry  Dr.  Washington,  who  was 
making  Boston  instead  of  New  York  his  headquarters  at  that 
time.  He  decided  to  find  out  for  himself  what  the  real  trouble 
was  and  asked  me  to  issue  invitations  to  the  leading  men  of  his 
race  in  Boston  to  attend  a  banquet  at  Young's  Hotel.  When 
seated  at  the  banquet  table  the  gathering  was  what  is  generally 
styled  '  grand  and  imposing.'  There  was  no  mirth  in  the  coun 
tenances  of  the  diners,  but  there  was  a  good  appetite.  That 
is  a  healthy  sign. 

'*  At  the  proper  time  when  the  coffee  and  cigars  were  serv 
ed,  I  arose  and  told  the  diners  that  Dr.  Washington  had  desired 
to  meet  them  at  the  banquet  table  and  at  the  proper  time  to  have 
each  one  of  them  express  freely  his  opinion  of  the  race  question, 
and  how  best  the  race  could  be  served  in  the  delicate  crisis 
through  which  it  was  then  passing.  Each  of  the  speakers 
launched  into  a  tirade  against  Dr.  Washington  and  his  policies 

16-W 


242          SOME  PERSONAL  REMINISCENCES. 

and  methods,  many  of  them  in  lofty  flights  of  speech  they 
learned  at  Harvard  University.  The  atmosphere  was  dense 
with  discontent  and  denunciation. 

"  The  climax  was  reached  when  William  H.  Lewis,  the 
famous  Harvard  football  coach,  told  Dr.  Washington  to  go  back 
South,  and  attend  to  his  work  of  educating  the  negro  and  leave 
'  to  us  the  matters  political  affecting  the  race/  Every  eye 
was  upon  Dr.  Washington's  face,  but  none  of  them  could  read 
anything  in  it;  it  was  as  inscrutable  as  a  wooden  Indian's. 
When  every  one  of  them  had  had  his  say  I  called  upon  Dr. 
Washington  to  respond  to  the  speakers  who  had  unburdened 
themselves.  Dr.  Washington  rose  slowly,  and  with  a  slip  of 
paper  in  his  hand,  and  said : 

SMALL  BLAZE  OF  ELOQUEOCE. 

Gentlemen,  I  want  to  tell  you  about  what  we  are  doing 
at  Tuskegee  Institute  and  in  the  Black  Belt  of  Alabama/ 

"  For  more  than  a  half -hour  he  told  them  of  the  needs  and 
the  work  without  once  alluding  to  anything  that  had  been  said 
in  heat  and  anger  by  those  to  whom  he  spoke.  He  held  them 
close  to  him  by  his  simple  recital,  with  here  and  there  a  small 
blaze  of  eloquence,  and  then  thanking  them  for  the  candor  with 
which  they  had  spoken,  sat  down.  They  were  all  disappointed, 
as  they  expected  that  he  would  attempt  to  excuse  himself  of 
the  things  they  complained. 

"  At  another  time  at  one  of  the  Tuskegee  farmers'  confe 
rences,  in  1894, 1  think,  Governor  William  C.  Gates  of  Alabama 
was  on  the  program  to  make  an  address,  and  the  multitude  was 
expecting  great  things  of  him.  He  was  not  a  polished  speaker, 
although  he  had  served  a  great  many  years  in  Congress.  He 
was  a  rough  soldier,  who  had  lost  an  arm  fighting  for  the  Con- 


SOME  PERSONAL  REMINISCENCES.         243 

federacy.     He  liked  Dr.  Washington,  however,  and  his  ideas 
about  the  industrial  education  of  the  colored  people. 

"  John  C.  Dancy,  a  college  man,  at  that  time  Collector  of 
Customs  at  Wilmington,  N.  C.,  was  to  speak  before  Governor 
Oates,  and  I  was  to  follow  the  latter.  Mr.  Dancy  is  an  un 
usually  bright  and  eloquent  man.  The  two  made  a  brilliant 
comparison  between  the  Puritan  civilization  of  New  England 
and  the  Cavalier  civilization  of  the  South.  Mr.  Dancy  paid  a 
glowing  tribute  to  the  New  England  men  and  women  who  had 
built  up  the  educational  interest  among  the  colored  people  after 
the  war,  of  which  the  Hampton  and  Tuskegee  Institutes  were 
lasting  monuments.  Mr.  Dancy  had  plenty  of  applause  from 
the  great  concourse  of  countrymen,  but  his  address  made  Gover 
nor  Oates  furious.  When  the  Governor  was  called  upon  to 
speak  he  showed  plainly  that  he  was  agitated  out  of  his  self- 
restraint.  Without  any  introductory  remarks  whatever,  he 
said,  as  I  remember  it : 

A  FEW  WORDS  OF  PLAIN  TALK. 

" '  I  have  this  written  address  for  you/  waving  it  at  the 
audience,  'but  I  will  not  deliver  it.  I  want  to  give  you  niggers 
a  few  words  of  plain  talk  and  advice.  No  such  address  as  you 
have  just  listened  to  is  going  to  do  you  niggers  any  good;  it's 
going  to  spoil  you.  You  had  better  not  listen  to  such  speeches. 
You  might  just  as  well  understand  that  this  is  a  white  man's 
country,  as  far  as  the  South  is  concerned,  and  we  are  going  to 
make  you  niggers  keep  your  place.  Understand  that.  I  have 
nothing  more  to  say  to  you/ 

'  The  audience  was  taken  back  as  much  by  the  bluntness 
of  the  Governor's  address  as  if  they  had  been  doused  with  cold 
water.  Indignation  was  everywhere  visible  on  the  countenances 
of  the  people.  But  Dr.  Washington  appeared  unruffled.  On 


244          SOME  PERSONAL  REMINISCENCES. 

the  contrary  his  heavy  jaw  was  hard  set  and  his  eyes  danced 
in  a  merry  measure.  It  was  a  time  to  keep  one's  temper  and 
wits,  and  he  did  so,  as  usual.  Without  betraying  any  feeling 
in  the  matter,  and  when  everybody  expected  him  to  announce 
the  next  speaker,  he  said: 

"  '  Ladies  and  Gentlemen :  I  am  sure  you  will  agree  with  me 
that  we  have  had  enough  eloquence  for  one  occasion.  We  shall 
listen  to  the  next  speaker  at  another  session,  when  we  are  not 
so  fagged  out.  We  will  now  rise,  sing  the  doxology  and  be  dis 
missed.' 

"  The  audience  did  so,  but  it  was  the  most  funereal  pro 
ceeding  I  had  ever  witnessed  upon  such  an  occasion.  Dr.  Wash 
ington's  imperturable  good  nature  alone  saved  the  day. 

MANY  INVITATIONS  TO  SPEAK. 

"  After  the  meeting  of  the  Business  League  in  Chicago, 
in  August,  1904,  I  think,  Dr.  Washington,  who  was  much  run 
down,  planned  to  spend  some  weeks  in  camp  on  the  Gauley 
River,  in  West  Virginia.  There  were  only  half  a  dozen  in  the 
party.  As  soon  as  it  was  noised  abroad  that  Dr.  Washington 
was  to  go  into  camp  in  the  State  invitations  poured  in  upon  him 
to  speak  at  various  points  in  West  Virginia.  It  was  the  State 
from  which  he  had  gone  in  his  youth  to  seek  an  education,  and 
the  people  wanted  to  see  and  hear  him.  But  he  accepted  only 
two  of  the  invitations,  one  at  Charleston  at  the  beginning  and 
one  at  Montgomery  at  the  end  of  his  trip. 

"  At  Charleston  the  meeting  and  reception  were  held  in  the 
State  Capitol  and  the  addresses  were  by  Governor  McCorkle 
and  former  Governor  Atkinson,  the  one  a  Democrat,  the  other 
a  Republican  of  high  repute.  Before  he  was  called  upon  to 
speak,  Dr.  Washington  suggested  that  I  make  the  long  address 
for  him,  as  he  did  not  feel  well,  but  I  declined  on  the  ground  that 


SOME  PERSONAL  REMINISCENCES.         245 

the  people  wanted  to  hear  him,  who  was  one  of  them,  and  not  me, 
about  whom  they  knew  nothing,  and  because  I  knew  he  was  only 
guying  me,  to  relieve  himself  of  the  pent-up  humor  which  he 
had  always  to  labor  to  keep  in  subordination. 

"  When  we  got  to  the  camp  on  the  Gauley,  I  was  surprised 
to  find  among  the  articles  Dr.  Washington  had  ordered  for 
his  comfort  was  a  big  bathtub,  which  leaned  conspicuously 
against  his  tent,  thirty  feet  from  the  river.  I  did  not  say  any 
thing  to  him  about  it,  and  he  never  used  it,  but  rather ,  took  his 
dip  every  morning  in  the  running  waters  of  the  river.  There 
were  many  visitors  to  the  camp,  mostly  mountaineers,  some  of 
whom  came  many  miles  over  the  mountains  to  see  him.  One 
morning  a  long,  lank  mountaineer  drove  up  to  the  camp,  in  a 
regular  mountain  rig,  with  two  big  horses.  His  twelve-year- 
old  son  was  with  him.  The  man  said  to  the  one  nearest  him : 

MIGHTY  GLAD  TO  SEE  HIM. 

"  The  mountaineer  dismissed  me  with  that,  and  I  did 
Washington  they  say  is  camping  hereabouts.  Be  you  him?' 
Dr.  Washington  stepped  forth  and  greeted  the  man  cordially. 
*  You  see  it's  this  way ;  I  wouldn't  go  round  th'  corner  ter  see 
you,  but  they  are  teaching  th'  children  in  our  school  all  about 
you  and  this  'ere  boy  of  mine  jest  'lowed  that  he  had  ter  see  you. 
So  here  we  aire,  and  I'm  mighty  glad  to  see  you.' 

"  Dr.  Washington  insisted  that  they  alight  and  have  break 
fast  and  allow  the  stock  to  be  fed. 

"  After  breakfast  we  all  strolled  up  the  mountain  road  in 
the  wake  of  Dr.  Washington  and  the  mountaineer  and  his  son. 
The  two  men  kept  up  an  animated  conversation.  At  one  point 
the  mountaineer  asked : 

"  '  I  suppose  you  be  a  Republican,  Mr.  Washington  ?' 

"  *  Why  yes ;  I've  never  been  anything  else/  said  Dr.  Wash- 


246          SOME  PERSONAL  REMINISCENCES. 

ington,  rather  doubtfully,  as  he  did  not  of  course  know  the  poli 
tics  of  the  mountaineer  nor  the  reason  for  his  asking  the  ques 
tion. 

"  '  Well,  I'm  glad  to  know  it.  I  voted  for  Abe  Lincoln  and 
for  every  Republican  since.  I  suppose  these  others  aire  Repub 
licans  ?' 

"  '  All  except  my  friend  Fortune ;  he  is  an  independent,  and 
some  call  him  a  Democrat  because  he  supported  Cleveland 
against  Elaine/  said  Dr.  Washington,  with  a  mischievous  twitch 
of  his  mouth.  The  lank  mountaineer,  who  had  a  big  Smith  & 
Weston  revolver  buckled  on  him  in  plain  view,  sized  me  up,  with 
a  frown  on  his  wrinkled  face,  and  said: 

"  '  I'm  very  much  surprised,  very  much.  I  cain't  see  how 
a  nigger  can  be  a  Democrat.  For  my  part  I  think  every  one 
of  'em  ought  to  be  shot  wherever  he  be  found.' 

VERY  MUCH  SURPRISED. 

"The  mountaineer  dismissed  me  with  that,  and  I  did 
not  answer.  In  parting  from  us  several  hours  after  the  moun 
taineer  shook  hands  with  Dr.  Washington  and  said : 

"  *  We're  proud  of  you  in  this  State  Booker,  we  be,  and  I 
want  you  to  know  it,  and  if  you  ever  want  real  friends  just 
you  come  bacn  here  and  you'll  find  'em  in  West  Virginny/ 

"  On  leaving  the  camp  Dr.  Washington  was  scheduled 
to  make  an  address  at  Montgomery.  The  opera  house  was 
packed  to  suffocation  and  there  were  many  outside  who  could 
not  get  in  as  there  were  inside.  Before  the  meeting  began,  Dr. 
Washington  had  a  '  sinking  spell/  a  species  of  dyspepsia  that 
bothered  him  much,  and  was  really  too  sick  to  speak  when  his 
time  came.  He  asked  me  to  speak  for  him,  telling  the  mountain 
eers  he  would  follow  me. 

'  Dr.  Washington  was  not  witty ;  he  was  rather  humorous 


SOME  PERSONAL  REMINISCENCES.         247 

in  his  makeup.  He  had  need  always  of  a  yarn  to  illustrate  what 
he  had  to  say  in  order  to  keep  his  audiences  in  good  humor. 
Instead  of  making  an  address  I  told  the  audience  that  I  would 
entertain  them  with  some  of  the  jokes  that  Dr.  Washington 
usually  employed  to  illustrate  the  subject  in  hand.  There  were 
about  twelve  of  these.  I  kept  the  audience  laughing  from  be 
ginning  to  end." 

Mr.  Fortune  repeats  two  stories  familiar  to  many  of  Dr. 
Washington's  followers,  one  of  which  is  as  follows : 

BACK  WORK  OFF   HIS  SHIRT. 

"  There  was  a  colored  farmer  near  Tuskegee  who  used  to 
come  on  foot  every  Saturday  at  the  same  hour  to  get  a  side  of 
Cincinnati  white  pork,  in  which  there  was  never  a  streak  of 
lean.  He  was  a  long,  lank  person,  and  the  meat  had  worn  all 
of  the  back  off  his  shirt.  He  met  a  white  countryman  about 
the  same  place  coming  into  the  town  as  he  was  going  out,  who 
always  eyed  the  colored  man  and  his  side  of  bacon  curiously.  At 
last,  one  Saturday  afternoon,  he  halted  his  mule  close  to  the 
colored  man  and  said: 

"  '  Say,  my  man,  I  want  tew  ask  yer  er  question/ 

"  '  All  right,  boss,  go  right  erhaid,'  said  the  colored  man. 
*  Yer  kin  ask  me  any  questions  yer  wanter.  Dat's  a  w'ite  man's 
business/ 

" '  The  question  is  this :  I  want  ter  know  why  you  don't 
buy  more  shirt  an'  less  bacon?' 

" '  I'll  tell  yer  boss,  fur  it  am  a  easy  question.  Yer  see 
it  am  dis  way:  I  done  found  out  er  long  time  ergo  dat 
you  can  promise  de  back,  but  de  stomach  doan  take  no  credit/ 

"  And  then  Dr.  Washington  would  preach  a  sermon  on  the 
necessity  of  negroes  raising  their  own  bacon  and  depending  less 
upon  the  grocer.  Most  colored  people  are  hearty  eaters  and 


248          SOME  PERSONAL  REMINISCENCES. 

disposed    to    slight    outward    appearances    to    satisfy     their 
stomachs. 

"  The  Afro- American  people  will  never  have  another 
Booker  T.  Washington  to  lead  them,  because  there  will  not  be 
again  any  slave  condition  out  of  which  to  develop  such  a  man/' 

Had  he  lived  another  month  Dr.  Washington  would  have 
noted  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  th^  freedom  of  the  slaves,  for 
the  exact  date  of  the  ending  o/  ^e  sf  "^le  which  ended 
slavery  was  December  18. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
THE  QUESTION  INVOLVED. 

WHILE  this  volume  has  not  been  prepared  with  a  view 
or  hope  of  pointing  the  way  to  the  solution  of  the 
negro  problem,  the  very  life  history  of  Dr.  Washing 
ton  and  the  recounting  of  his  struggles,  experiences  and  achieve 
ments,    make    it    incumbent    upon    those    who    peruse    these 
pages  to  immediately  give  thought  to  the  race  question  in  its 
relation  to  the  future  of  the  country,  and  the  future  of  the  race 
itself. 

It  is  true,  too,  that  any  information  which  will  emphasize 
the  difficulties  that  confronted  the  great  leader  in  his  struggle 
forward  will  make  more  apparent  the  effectiveness  of  his 
methods,  show  more  clearly  the  heights  of  greatness  to  which 
he  ascended,  and  give  heart  to  those  who  because  of  such  condi 
tions  have  felt  inclined  to  look  upon  the  situation  as  hopeless. 
He  recognized  the  great  handicap  which  prejudice  placed 
upon  the  efforts  of  the  negro,  and  in  formulating  his  educational 
plans  to  make  easier  the  work  of  those  following  him,  he  sought 
to  make  his  students  see  that  they  should  first  make  themselves 
more  valuable  to  the  world  as  economic  units,  knowing  that 
society  at  large  forgives  or  overlooks  constitutional  weaknesses, 
deformities,  or  unconventionalities  in  type,  where  the  individual 
rises  to  a  point  of  accomplishing  something  meretorious,  and 
that  what  applies  to  one  individual  will  apply  in  general  to  a 
group  of  individuals. 

What  effect  prejudice  has  in  a  general  way  has  been  studied 
and  weighed  by  many  students.  In  a  special  survey  of  the 
negro,  made  by  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  this  phase  of 

249 


250  THE  QUESTION  INVOLVED. 

the  race  problem  is  discussed  at  length,  particularly  with  ref 
erence  to  the  negro  in  cities,  as  typified  by  Philadelphia,  and 
some  interesting  reflections  and  conclusions  are  given,  among 
which  are  the  following: 

NOT  RECOGNIZED  AS  A  MAN. 

''  In  the  negro's  mind,  color  prejudice  is  that  widespread 
feeling  of  dislike  for  his  blood  which  keeps  him  and  his  children 
out  of  decent  employment,  from  certain  public  conveniences  and 
amusements,  from  hiring  houses  in  many  sections,  and,  in  gen 
eral,  from  being  recognized  as  a  man.  Negroes  regard  this 
prejudice  as  the  chief  cause  of  their  unfortunate  condition. 
On  the  other  hand  most  white  people  are  quite  unconscious 
of  any  such  powerful  and  vindictive  feeling;  they  regard  color 
prejudice  as  the  easily  explicable  feeling  that  intimate  social 
intercourse  with  a  lower  race  is  not  only  undesirable  but  imprac 
ticable  if  our  present  standards  of  culture  are  to  be  maintained; 
and  although  they  are  aware  that  some  people  feel  the  aversion 
more  intensely  than  others,  they  cannot  see  how  such  a  feeling 
has  much  influence  on  the  real  situation,  or  alters  the  social 
condition  of  the  mass  of  negroes. 

"  As  a  matter  of  fact,  color  prejudice  is  something  between 
these  two  extreme  views :  it  is  not  responsible  for  all,  or  perhaps 
the  greater  part  of  the  negro  problems,  or  of  the  disabilities 
under  which  the  race  labors ;  on  the  other  hand  it  is  a  far  more 
powerful  social  force  than  most  people  realize." 

A  summary  of  some  of  the  difficulties  which  the  negro  is 
compelled  to  face  because  of  this  attitude,  as  given  in  the  survey, 
includes  these  observations : 

"  No  matter  how  well  trained  a  negro  may  be,  or  how  fitted 
for  work  of  any  kind,  he  cannot  in  the  ordinary  course  of  com 
petition  hope  to  be  much  more  than  a  menial  servant. 


THE  QUESTION  INVOLVED.  251 


" 


He  cannot  get  clerical  or  supervisory  work  to  do  save 
in  exceptional  cases. 

"  Whim  and  accident  will  cause  him  to  lose  a  hard-earned 
place  more  quickly  than  the  same  things  would  affect  a  white 
man. 

"  Being  few  in  number  compared  with  the  whites  the  crime 
and  carelessness  of  a  few  of  his  race  is  easily  imputed  to  all, 
and  the  reputation  of  the  good,  industrious  and  reliable  suffer 
thereby. 

"  Because  negro  workmen  may  not  often  work  side  by  side 
with  white  workmen,  the  individual  black  workman  is  rated  not 
by  his  own  efficiency,  but  by  the  efficiency  of  a  whole  group  of 
black  fellow  workmen  which  may  often  be  low. 

FORCED  TO  WORK   FOR  LOW  WAGES. 

"  Because  of  these  difficulties  which  virtually  increase  com 
petition  in  his  case,  he  is  forced  to  take  lower  wages  for  the  same 
work  than  white  workmen. 

"  In  all  walks  of  life  the  negro  is  liable  to  meet  some  objec 
tion  to  his  presence  or  some  discourteous  treatment;  and  the 
ties  of  friendship  or  memory  seldom  are  strong  enough  to  hold 
across  the  color  line. 

"  If  an  invitation  is  issued  to  the  public  for  any  occasion, 
the  negro  can  never  know  whether  he  would  be  welcomed  or 
not ;  if  he  goes  he  is  liable  to  have  his  feelings  hurt  and  get  into 
unpleasant  altercation;  if  he  stays  away  he  is  blamed  for  indif 
ference. 

"  If  he  meet  a  lifelong  friend  on  the  street  he  is  in  a  di 
lemma  ;  if  he  does  not  greet  the  friend  he  is  put  down  as  boorish 
and  impolite;  if  he  does  greet  the  friend  he  is  liable  to  be 
flatly  snubbed. 


252  THE  QUESTION  INVOLVED. 

"  If  by  chance  he  is  introduced  to  a  white  woman  or  man, 
he  expects  to  be  ignored  on  the  next  meeting,  and  usually  is. 

"  White  friends  may  call  on  him,  but  he  is  scarcely  ex 
pected  to  call  on  them,  save  for  strictly  business  matters. 

"  Any  one. of  these  things  happening  now  and  then  would 
not  be  remarkable  or  call  for  especial  comment;  but  when  one 
group  of  people  suffer  all  of  these  little  differences  of  treatment 
and  discriminations  continually,  the  result  is  either  discourage 
ment,  or  bitterness,  or  over-sensitiveness,  or  recklessness.  And 
a  people  feeling  thus  cannot  do  their  best." 

ALMOST  IMPOSSIBLE  TO  SECURE  WORK. 

The  inquiry  showed  that  while  quite  a  number  of  cases 
could  be  pointed  to  in  which  negroes  held  positions  of  responsi 
bility,  or  as  skilled  workers,  the  exceptions  proved  in  the  main, 
that,  in  the  centre  where  the  investigation  was  made,  without 
strong  effort  and  special  influence,  it  was  next  to  impossible 
for  the  negro  to  secure  employment  in  most  of  the  trades,  ex 
cept  he  work  as  an  independent  workman  and  take  small  tran 
sient  jobs. 

"  One  has  but  to  note  that  notwithstanding  the  acknow 
ledged  ability  of  many  colored  men,  the  negro  is  conspicuously 
absent  from  all  places  of  honor,  trust  or  emolument,  as  well 
as  from  those  of  respectable  grade  in  commerce  and  industry. 

"  Even  in  the  world  of  skilled  labor  the  negro  is  largely 
excluded.  Many  would  explain  the  absence  of  negroes  from 
higher  vocations  by  saying  that  while  a  few  may  now  and  then 
be  found  competent,  the  great  mass  are  not  fitted  for  that  sort 
of  work  and  are  destined  for  some  time  to  form  a  laboring 
class.  In  the  matter  of  the  trades,  however,  there  can  be  raised 
no  serious  question  of  ability ;  for  years  the  negroes  filled  satis- 


THE  QUESTION  INVOLVED.  253 

factorily  the  trades  and  in  many  parts  of  the  South  they  are  still 
prominent. 

1  The  chief  agency  that  brings  about  this  state  of 
affairs,"  says  the  report,  "  is  public  opinion;  if  they  were  not 
intrenched,  and  strongly  intrenched,  back  of  an  active  preju 
dice  or  at  least  passive  acquiescence  in  this  effort  to  deprive 
negroes  of  a  decent  livelihood,  both  trades  unions  and  arbitrary 
bosses  would  be  powerless  to  do  the  harm  they  now  do ;  where 
however,  a  large  section  of  the  public  more  or  less  openly  ap 
plaud  the  stamina  of  a  man  who  refuses  to  work  with  a  '  Nig 
ger/  the  results  are  inevitable.  The  object  of  the  trades  union 
is  purely  business-like ;  it  aims  to  restrict  the  labor  market,  just 
as  the  manufacturer  aims  to  raise  the  price  of  goods.  Here 
is  a  chance  to  keep  out  of  the  market  a  vast  number  of  workmen, 
and  the  unions  seize  the  chance  save  in  cases  where  they  dare 
not,  as  in  the  case  of  the  cigar-makers  and  coal  miners. 

FORBIDS  HOSTILE  ACTION. 

"  If  they  could  keep  out  the  foreign  workmen  in  the  same 
way  they  would;  but  here  public  opinion  within  and  without 
their  ranks  forbids  hostile  action.  Of  course,  most  unions 
do  not  flatly  declare  their  discriminations ;  a  few  plainly  put  the 
word  '  white  '  into  their  constitutions ;  most  of  them  do  not  and 
will  say  that  they  consider  each  case  on  its  merits.  Then 
they  quietly  blackball  the  negro  applicant.  Others  delay  and 
temporize  and  put  off  action  until  the  negro  withdraws;  still 
other  discriminate  against  the  negro  in  initiation  fees  and  dues, 
making  a  negro  pay  $100,  where  the  whites  pay  $25. 

On  this  matter  o'f  the  opposition  of  the  trades  unions  to 
the  negro,  merely,  it  was  cited,  as  a  matter  of  prejudice,  Dr. 
Washington  took  up  the  cudgel  in  behalf  of  his  race  as  part  of 


254  THE  QUESTION  INVOLVED. 

his  battle  to  open  the  way  for  the  students  of  Tuskegee,  who 
were  going  out  into  the  world  as  skilled  mechanics. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Federation  of  Labor,  in  1897, 
it  is  part  of  the  records  that  there  was  a  long  discussion  over 
the  admission  of  the  negro  into  the  ranks  of  organized  labor, 
and  that  there  was  a  denial  that  there  was  ground  for  a  protest 
from  "  Booker  T.  Washington  "  that  trade  unions  were  placing 
obstacles  in  the  way  of  material  advancement  of  the  negro. 

What  Dr.  Washington  was  contending  against  is  indicated 
by  the  following  note,  which  is  one  of  many  given  in  the  report, 
to  show  the  difficulties  that  the  negro  has  to  confront  in  the 
world's  open  market  for  workers :, 

A  TYPICAL  CASE. 

"  The  case  of  a  young  colored  '  waiter  man  '  may  be  taken 
as  typical.  He  had  studied  three  years  at  Hampton,  where  he 
had  learned  in  that  time  the  stone-cutter's  trade.  He  could 
practice  this  in  Georgia,  he  said,  but  in  the  South  stone-cutters 
get  only  $2.00  a  day  as  compared  with  $3.50,  sometimes  $4.00 
a  day  in  the  North.  So  he  came  North  with  the  promise  of  a 
job  of  stone-cutting  for  a  new  block  of  buildings  to  be  erected 
by  a  Philadelphian  he  had  met  in  Georgia.  He  received  $3.50 
a  day,  but  when  the  block  was  done  he  could  get  no  other  job 
of  stone-cutting,  and  so  went  into  domestic  service,  where  he 
received  $6.25  a  week  instead  of  the  $21.00  a  week  he  should 
have  been  receiving  as  a  stone-cutter. 

'  The  effect  on  domestic  service  is  to  swell  its  already  over 
full  ranks  with  discontented  young  men  and  women  whom  one 
would  naturally  expect  to  find  rendering  half-hearted  service 
because  they  consider  their  domestic  service  work  only  a  tempo 
rary  makeshift  employment.  One  sometimes  hears  it  said  that 
'  our  waiter  has  graduated  from  such  and  such  a  school,  but  we 


THE  QUESTION  INVOLVED.  255 

notice  that  he  is  not  even  a  very  good  waiter/  Such  comments 
give  rise  to  the  speculation  as  to  the  success  in  ditch  digging 
which  would  be  likely  to  attend  upon  the  labors  of  college  profes 
sors,  or  indeed,  how  many  of  the  young  white  men  who  have 
graduated  from  college  and  from  law  schools  would  show  them 
selves  excellent  waiters,  particularly  if  they  took  up  the  work 
simply  as  a  temporary  expedient.  A  '  match  '  between  Yale  and 
Hampton,  where  mental  activities  must  be  confined  to  the  walls 
of  the  butler's  pantry,  and  where  there  were  to  be  no  '  fumbles  ' 
with  soup  plates,  might  bring  out  interesting  and  suggestive 

points. 

TRAVELS  FAR  FOR  EMPLOYMENT. 

In  the  records  of  several  schools  included  in  the  report 
it  is  shown  that  a  very  large  percentage  of  those  who  graduated 
were  compelled  to  travel  to  distant  points  in  order  to  secure 
employment  in  their  chosen  trades  or  professions,  or  were  com 
pelled  to  abandon  that  calling  after  having  taken  the  pains  to 
obtain  it. 

At  this  point  it  is  strikingly  significant  that  at  the  very 
time  the  world  was  eulogizing  Dr.  Washington  and  crediting 
him  with  having  done  much  to  break  down  the  barrier  of  preju 
dice  under  which  the  negro  labored,  a  bitter  protest  was  raised  in 
one  of  the  good  residential  sections  of  Philadelphia  because 
Dr.  William  Creditt,  the  negro  principal  of  the  Downingtown 
Industrial  School,  began  negotiations  for  the  purchase  of  a 
home  in  the  district. 

Pages  might  be  given  from  the  long  survey  from  which 
pointed  extracts  or  references  have  been  taken,  but  that  would 
not  throw  any  light  on  the  situation  as  a  whole.  The  following 
conclusions,  with  some  omissions,  are  therefore  given  to  show 
what  these  investigators  viewed  as  necessary  on  the  part  of 
both  races  to  the  solution  of  the  race  problem : 


256  THE  QUESTION  INVOLVED. 

"  The  negro  groblems  are  not  more  hopelessly  complex  than 
many  others  have  been.  Their  elements  despite  their  bewilder 
ing  complication  can  be  kept  clearly  in  view.  They  are,  after 
all,  the  same  difficulties  over  which  the  world  has  grown  gray 
— the  question  as  to  how  far  human  intelligence  can  be  trusted 
and  trained ;  as  to  whether  we  must  always  have  the  poor  with 
us;  as  to  whether  it  is  possible  for  the  mass  of  men  to  attain 
righteousness  on  earth ;  and  then  to  add  that  question  of  ques 
tions.  After  all  who  are  the  men?  Is  every  feathered  biped 
to  be  counted  a  man  and  brother? 

NO  MYTHICAL  HUMANITY. 

"  Are  all  races  and  types  to  be  joint  heirs  of  the  new  earth 
that  men  have  striven  to  raise  in  thirty  centuries  and  more? 
Shall  we  not  swamp  civilization  in  barbarism  and  drown  genius 
in  indulgence  if  we  seek  a  mythical  Humanity  which  shall 
shadow  all  men?  The  answer  of  the  early  centuries  to  this 
puzzle  was  clear :  those  of  any  nation  who  can  be  called  Men  and 
endowed  with  rights  are  few;  they  are  the  privileged  classes — 
the  well-born  and  the  accidents  of  low-birth  called  up  by  the 
King. 

"  The  rest,  the  mass  of  the  nation,  the  pobel,  the  mob, 
are  fit  to  follow,  to  obey,  to  dig  and  delve,  but  not  to  think  or 
rule  or  play  the  gentleman.  We  who  were  born  to  another  phil 
osophy  hardly  realize  how  deep-seated  and  plausible  this  view 
of  human  capabilities  and  powers  once  was ;  how  utterly  incom 
prehensible  this  republic  would  have  been  to  Charlemange  or 
Charles  V,  or  Charles  I.  We  rather  hasten  to  forget  that  once 
the  courtiers  of  English  kings  looked  upon  the  ancestors  of 
most  Americans  with  greater  contempt  than  these  Americans 
look  upon  negroes — and  perhaps,  indeed,  had  more  cause.  We 
forget  that  once  French  peasants  were  the  '  Niggers  '  of  France, 


THE  QUESTION  INVOLVED.  257 

and  that  German  princelings  once  discussed  with  doubt  the 
brains  and  humanity  of  the  bauer. 

"  Much  of  this — or  at  least  some  of  it — has  passed  arid  the 
world  has  glided  by  blood  and  iron  into  a  wider  humanity,  a 
wider  respect  for  simple  manhood  unadorned  by  ancestors  or 
privilege.  Not  that  we  have  discovered,  as  some  hoped  and 
some  feared,  that  all  men  were  created  free  and  equal,  but 
rather  that  the  differences  in  men  are  not  so  vast  as  we  had 
assumed.  We  still  yield  the  well-born  the  advantages  of  birth, 
we  still  see  that  each  nation  has  its  dangerous  flock  of  fools 
and  rascals ;  but  we  also  find  most  men  have  brains  to  be  culti 
vated  and  souls  to  be  saved. 

AFRICAN  RACE  NOT  CONSIDERED. 

"  And  still  this  widening  of  the  idea  of  common  Humanity 
is  of  slow  growth  and  to-day  but  dimly  realized.  We  grant 
full  citizenship  in  the  World-Commonwealth  to  the  '  Anglo- 
Saxon/  the  Teuton  and  the  Latin ;  then  with  just  a  shade  of  re 
luctance  we  extend  it  to  the  Celt  and  Slav.  We  half  deny  it  to 
the  yellow  races  of  Asia,  admit  the  Brown  Indians  to  ante-room 
only  on  the  strength  of  an  undeniable  past ;  but  with  the  negroes 
of  Africa  we  come  to  a  full  stop,  and  in  its  heart  the  civilized 
world  with  one  accord  denies  that  these  come  within  the  pale 
of  humanity.  This  feeling,  widespread  and  deep-seated,  is 
in  America  the  vastest  of  the  negro  problems;  we  have,  to  be 
sure,  a  threatening  problem  of  ignorance  but  the  ancestors  of 
most  Americans  were  far  more  ignorant  that  the  freedmen's 
sons ;  these  ex-slaves  are  poor,  but  not  as  poor  as  the  Irish  pea 
sants  used  to  be ;  crime  may  be  rampant,  but  not  more  so  if  as 
much  as  in  Italy;  but  the  difference  is  that  the  ancestors  of  the 
English  and  the  Irish  and  the  Italians  were  felt  worth  educating, 
helping  and  guiding,  because  they  were  men  and  brothers. 

17-W 


258  THE  QUESTION  INVOLVED. 

"  We  have  the  problems  arising  from  the  uniting  of  so 
many  social  questions  about  one  centre.  In  such  a  situation 
we  need  only  to  avoid  underestimating  the  difficulties  on  the 
one  hand  and  overestimating  them  on  the  other.  The 
the  world  has  conquered  before  and  can  conquer  again.  More 
over  the  battle  involves  more  than  a  mere  altruistic  interest 
in  an  alien  people.  It  is  a  battle  for  humanity  and  human  cul 
ture. 

SHOULD  NOT  RETARD  AN  EARNEST  PEOPLE'S  RISE. 

"  The  negro  is  here  to  stay;  it  is  to  the  advantage  of  all, 
both  black  and  white,  that  every  negro  should  make  the .  best  of 
himself;  it  is  the  duty  of  the  negro  to  raise  himself  by  every 
effort  to  the  standards  of  modern  civilization  and  not  to  lower 
those  standards  in  any  degree ;  it  is  the  duty  of  the  white  people 
to  guard  their  civilization  against  debauchment  by  themselves 
or  others ;  but  in  order  to  do  this  it  is  not  necessary  to  hinder 
and  retard  the  efforts  of  an  earnest  people  to  rise,  simply  be 
cause  they  lack  faith  in  the  ability  of  that  people.  With  these 
duties  in  mind  and  with  a  spirit  of  self-help,  mutual  aid  and  co 
operation,  the  two  races  should  strive  side  by  side  to  realize  the 
ideals  of  the  republic  and  make  this  truly  a  land  of  opportunity 
for  all  men." 

On  the  duty  of  the  negro,  the  report  says :  "  That  the  negro 
race  has  appalling  work  of  social  reform  before  it  need  hardly 
be  said.  Simply  because  the  ancestors  of  the  present  white  in 
habitants  of  America  went  out  of  their  way  to  barbarously  mis 
treat  and  enslave  the  ancestors  of  the  present  black  inhabitants, 
gives  those  blacks  no  right  to  ask  that  the  civilization  and 
morality  of  the  land  be  seriously  menaced  for  their  benefit. 

''  Men  have  a  right  to  demand  that  the  members  of  civilized 
community  be  civilized;  that  the  fabric  of  human  culture  so 


THE  QUESTION  INVOLVED.  259 

laboriously  woven  be  not  wantonly  or  ignorantly  destroyed. 
Consequently  a  nation  may  rightly  demand,  even  of  a  people 
it  has  consciously  and  intentionally  wronged,  not  indeed  com 
plete  civilization  in  fifty  or  one  hundred  years,  but  at  least  every 
effort  and  sacrifice  possible  on  their  part  toward  making  them 
selves  fit  members  of  the  community  within  reasonable  time; 
that  they  may  early  become  a  source  of  strength  and  help  instead 
of  a  national  burden. 

''  Modern  society  has  many  problems  of  its  own,  too  much 
proper  anxiety  as  to  its  own  ability  to  survive  under  its  present 
organization,  for  it  to  shoulder  all  the  burdens  of  a  less  ad 
vanced  people,  and  it  can  rightly  demand  that  as  far  as  possible 
and  as  rapidly  as  possible  the  negro  bends  his  energy  to  solving 
social  problems — contributing  to  his  poor,  paying  his  share  of 
taxes  and  supporting  the  schools  and  public  administrations. 

RIGHT  TO  DEMAND  FREEDOM. 

"  For  the  accomplishment  of  this  the  negro  has  the  right 
to  demand  freedom  for  self -development,  and  no  more  aid  from 
without  than  is  really  helpful  for  furthering  that  development. 
Such  aid  must  of  necessity  be  considerable;  it  must  furnish 
schools  and  reformatories,  and  relief  and  preventive  agencies; 
but  the  bulk  of  the  work  of  raising  the  negro  must  be  done  by 
the  negro  himself,  and  the  greatest  help  for  him  will  be  not  to 
hinder  and  curtail  and  discourage  his  efforts.  Against  preju 
dice,  injustice  and  wrong  the  negro  ought  to  protest  energeti 
cally  and  continuously,  but  he  must  never  forget  that  he  protests 
because  those  things  hinder  his  own  efforts,  and  that  those  ef 
forts  are  the  key  to  his  future. 

"  And  those  efforts  must  be  mighty  and  comprehensive, 
persistent,  well-aimed  and  tireless;  satisfied  with  no  partial 
success,  lulled  to  sleep  by  no  colorless  victories ;  and,  above  all, 


260  THE  QUESTION  INVOLVED. 

guided  by  no  selfish  ideals;  at  the  same  time  they  must  be 
tempered  by  common  sense  and  rational  expectation.  Efforts 
should  first  be  directed  toward  a  lessening  of  negro  crime;  no 
doubt  the  amount  of  crime  imputed  to  the  race  is  exaggerated, 
no  doubt  features  of  the  negroes'  environment  over  which  he 
has  no  control,  excuse  much  that  is  committed;  but  beyond  all 
this  the  amount  of  crime  that  can  without  doubt  rightly  be 
laid  at  the  door  of  the  negro  is  large  and  is  a  menace  to  a  civ 
ilized  people. 

HUMBLE  WORK  RATHER  THAN  DISGRACE  OF  IDLENESS. 

"  Efforts  to  stop  this  crime  must  commence  in  the  negro 
homes ;  they  must  cease  to  be,  as  they  often  are,  breeders  of  idle 
ness  and  extravagance  and  complaint.  Work,  continuous  and 
intensive;  work,  although  it  be  menial  and  poorly  rewarded; 
work,  though  done  in  travail  of  soul  and  swet  of  brow,  must  be 
so  impressed  upon  negro  children  as  the  road  to  salvation,  that 
a  child  would  feel  it  a  greater  disgrace  to  be  idle  than  to  do  the 
humblest  labor.  The  homely  virtues  of  honesty,  truth  and 
chastity  must  be  instilled  in  the  cradle,  and  although  it  is  hard 
to  teach  self-respect  to  a  people  whose  million  fellow-citizens 
half-despise  them,  yet  it  must  be  taught  as  the  surest  road  to 
gain  the  respect  of  others. 

"  It  is  right  and  proper  that  negro  boys  and  girls  should 
desire  to  rise  as  high  in  the  world  33  their  ability  and  just  desert 
entitle  them.  They  shouTcT  6e  ever  encouraged  and  urged  to  do 
so,  although  they  should  be  taught  also  that  idleness  and  crime 
are  beneath  and  not  above  the  lowest  work.  It  should  be  the 
continual  object  of  negroes  to  open  better  industrial  chances 
for  their  sons  and  daughters.  Their  success  here  must,  of 
course,  rest  largely  with  the  white  people,  but  not  entirely. 
Proper  co-operation  among  colored  people  ought  to  open  many 


THE  QUESTION  INVOLVED.  261 

chances  of  employment  for  their  sons  and  daughters  in  trades, 
shops,  associations  and  industrial  enterprises. 

"  Further,  some  rational  means  of  amusement  should  be 
furnished  young  folk.  Prayer  meetings  and  church  socials 
have  their  place,  but  they  cannot  compete  in  attractiveness 
with  the  dance  halls  and  dens  of  the  city. 

"  There  is  a  vast  amount  of  preventive  and  rescue  work 
which  the  negroes  themselves  might  do ;  keeping  little  girls  off 
the  streets  at  night ;  showing  the  dangers  of  the  lodging  system ; 
urging  the  buying  of  homes  and  removal  from  crowded  and 
tainted  neighborhoods ;  giving  lectures  and  tracts  on  health  and 
habits;  exposing  the  dangers  of  gambling  and  inculcating  res 
pect  for  women.  Day  nurseries  and  sewing-schools,  mother's 
meetings,  all  these  things  are  little  known  or  appreciated  among 
the  masses  of  negroes,  and  their  attention  should  be  directed  to 
them. 

TO  EMULATE  THRIFT  RATHER  THAN  EXTRAVAGANCE. 

"  The  spending  of  money  is  a  matter  to  which  negroes 
need  to  give  especial  attention.  Money  is  .wasted  to-day  in 
dress,  furniture,  elaborate  entertainments,  costly  church  edi 
fices,  and  '  insurance '  schemes,  which  ought  to  go  toward  buy 
ing  homes,  educating  children,  giving  simple  healthful  amuse 
ment  to  the  young,  and  accummulating  something  in  the  savings 
bank  against  a  '  rainy  day/ 

"  Although  directlv  after  the  war  there  was  great  and 
remarkable  enthusiasm  for  education,  there  is  no  doubt  but  that 
this  enthusiasm  has  fallen  off,  and  there  is  to-day  much  neglect 
of  children  among  the  negroes,  and  failure  to  send  them  regu 
larly  to  school.  This  should  be  looked  into  by  the  negroes  them 
selves  and  every  effort  made  to  induce  full  regular  attendance. 

>{  Above  all,  the  better  classes  of  the  negroes  should  recog- 


262  THE  QUESTION  INVOLVED. 

nize  their  duty  toward  the  masses.  They  should  not  forget 
that  the  spirit  of  the  twentieth  century  is  to  be  the  turning 
of  the  high  toward  the  lowly,  the  bending  of  Humanity  to  all 
that  is  human;  the  recognition  that  in  the  slums  of  modern 
society  lie  the  answers  to  most  of  our  puzzling  problems  of  or 
ganization  and  life,  and  that  only  as  we  solve  those  problems 
is  our  culture  assured  and  our  progress  certain. 

"  This  the  negro  is  far  from  recognizing  for  himself;  his 
social  evolution  in  cities  like  Philadelphia  is  approaching  a 
mediaeval  stage  when  the  centrifugal  forces  of  repulsion  between 
social  classes  are  becoming  more  powerful  than  those  of  attrac 
tion.  So  hard  has  been  the  rise  of  the  better  class  of  negroes 
that  they  fear  to  fall  if  now  they  stoop  to  lend  a  hand  to  their 
fellows.  This  feeling  is  intensified  by  the  blindness  of  those 
outsiders  who  persist  even  now  in  confounding  the  good  and 
bad,  the  risen  and  fallen  in  one  mass. 

OVERLOOK  THEIR  RESPONSIBILITY. 

"  Nevertheless  the  negro  must  learn  the  lesson  that  other 
nations  learned  so  laboriously  and  imperfectly,  that  his  better 
classes  have  their  chief  excuse  for  being  in  the  work  they  may  do 
toward  lifting  the  rabble.  This  is  especially  true  in  a  city  like 
Philadelphia  which  has  so  distinct  and  creditable  a  negro  aristoc 
racy,  that  they  do  something  already  to  grapple  with  these 
social  problems  of  their  race  is  true,  but  they  do  not  yet  do 
nearly  as  much  as  they  must,  nor  do  they  clearly  recognize 
their  responsibility. 

"  Finally,  the  negroes  must  cultivate  a  spirit  of  calm, 
patient  persistence  in  their  attitude  toward  their  fellow  citizens 
rather  than  of  loud  and  intemperate  complaint.  A  man  may  be 
wrong,  and  know  he  is  wrong,  and  yet  some  finesse  must  be 
used  in  telling  him  of  it.  The  white  people  are  conscious  that 


THE  QUESTION  INVOLVED.  263 

their  negro  citizens  are  not  treated  fairly  in  all  respects,  but  it 
will  not  improve  matters  to  call  names  or  impute  unworthy 
motives  to  all  men.  Social  reforms  move  slowly,  and  yet  when 
Right  is  reinforced  by  calm  but  persistent  Progress  we  some 
how  all  feel  that  in  the  end  it  must  triumph." 

The  foregoing  is  presented  merely  for  the  purpose  of  show 
ing  what  conclusions  have  been  reached  by  others  than  Dr. 
Washington,  and  have  no  relation  in  fact  to  what  he  has  done, 
or  in  any  specific  sense  to  the  work  he  started,  except  that  he 
has  done  much  to  open  the  way  for  greater  progress  to  mem 
bers  of  his  race  and  proved  that  they  can  under  proper  condi 
tions  and  with  proper  training  makes  places  for  themselves. 


CHAPTER  XX. 
AGENCIES  FOR  NEGRO  EDUCATION. 

THE  fact  that  prominent  men  gave  their  support  to  Dr. 
Washington  in  his  efforts  to  create  an  institution  that 
would  provide  a  useful  education  for  members  of  his 
race  in  a  great  measure  inspired  him  to  his  greatest  efforts.     He 
felt  that  he  was  laboring  under  a  handicap  and  he  exerted  every 
possible  energy  that  he  might  not  lose  their  confidence  and  lose 
faith  in  himself  and  his  people.     The  eyes  of  the  world  were 
on  him  and  he  dared  not  fail. 

That  he  received  a  great  deal  of  support  from  the  trustees 
of  funds  provided  by  philanthropic  persons  for  the  education 
of  the  negro  only  proves  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  was  held. 
Ultimately  he  became  a  trustee  of  one  or  more  funds  and  render 
ed  much  assistance  to  those  who  had  the  distribution  of  such 
moneys  under  their  control. 

Among  the  funds  or  agencies  which  have  provided  for  the 
education  of  the  negro  separately,  or  in  connection  with  the 
white  children,  the  following  are  enumerated,  with  an  outline  of 
the  provisions  under  which  the  funds  were  administered : 

Gushing  Fund — This  fund  was  created  by  Miss  Emmeline 
Gushing,  of  Boston,  who  left  $33,000  in  the  interest  of  negro 
education.  The  income  from  this  was  to  be  available  for  the 
use  of  negro  institutions  for  a  period  of  sixteen  years.  The 
provisions  have  been  complied  with  and  the  fund  distributed. 

One  of  the  peculiar  bequests  was  that  of  John  Parrish,  of 
Philadelphia,  in  1808.  Under  the  provisions  of  his  will  there 
was  established  a  fund,  one-third  of  which  was  to  be  used  for 
the  education  of  poor  white  children,  one-third  for  the  aid  of 
Indians  and  one-third  for  the  aid  of  colored  people.  These 

264 


AGENCIES  FOR  NEGRO  EDUCATION.         265 

thirds  were  to  be  used  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  "  The 
Pennsylvania  Society  for  Promoting  the  Abolition  of  Slavery, 
the  Relief  of  Free  Negroes  Unlawfully  Held  in  Bondage,  and 
for  Improving  the  Condition  of  the  African  Race  "  is  the  trus 
tee  of  the  African  Third,  the  annual  income  of  which  usually 
amounts  to  about  $200.  This  Society  is  also  trustee  for  the 
real  estate  and  endowment  fund  for  the  Laing  School 
at  Mount  Pleasant,  South  Carolina.  In  addition,  the 
Society  has  funds  amounting  to  about  $19,000,  most  of  the 
income  from  which  is  applied  to  the  aiding  of  negro  education 
in  the  South. 

TO  PROVIDE  INSTRUCTION  FOR  MALE  COLORED  PEOPLE. 

Avery  Fund — This  Fund  was  created  in  1875.  By  agree 
ment  between  the  executors  of  the  estate  of  Rev.  Charles  Avery, 
who  in  1849  established  the  Avery  Trade  School  for  Colored 
Youth  at  Allegheny,  and  the  trustees  of  the  University  of  Pitts 
burgh,  the  fund  is  to  provide  instruction  for  male  colored 
people  in  the  United  States  and  the  British  Provinces  of  Canada. 
The  number  is  not  to  exceed  twelve  at  any  one  time  and  no  in 
dividual  can  hold  a  scholarship  longer  than  four  years.  The 
scholarships  are  granted  to  undergraduate  students  in  the  col 
lege  of  arts,  and  schools  of  engineering,  mining,  economics  and 
education. 

The  yilas  Bequest — Under  the  will  of  Senator  William  F. 
Vilas,  of  Wisconsin,  who  died  in  1908,  provision  is  made  for 
ten  scholarships  and  ten  fellowships  for  persons  of  negro  de 
scent  at  the  University  of  Wisconsin.  It  is  provided  that  ten 
undergraduate  scholarships  and  ten  fellowships  are  to  be  estab 
lished;  that  aid  is  to  be  provided  for  the  encouragement  of 
musical  talent,  or  to  promote  the  appreciation  of  music. 

After  the  establishing  of  ten  research  professorships,  the 


266        AGENCIES  FOR  NEGRO  EDUCATION. 

trustees  shall  provide  for  fifty  more  undergraduate  scholarships, 
with  a  salary  of  from  three  to  four  hundred  dollars  each,  and 
then  again  fifty  more  scholarship  fellowships  with  a  salary 
of  from  five  to  six  hundred  dollars  each,  to  each  of  which 
graduates  of  the  University  shall  be  appointed.  For  at  least 
one-fifth  of  these  scholarships  and  professorships  the  regents 
are  to  appoint  preferably  among  qualified  candidates  those  ol: 
negro  blood. 

THE  PEABODY  EDUCATIONAL  FUND. 

The  Peabody  Educational  Fund — This  fund  from  which 
Dr.  Washington  received  much  support  was  established  in  1867- 
68,  by  George  Peabody,  of  Danvers,  Mass.  He  provided 
a  fund  of  $3,500,000  to  be  devoted  to  education  in  the  South. 
$1,380,000  of  this  amount  was  in  Florida  and  Mississippi  bonds 
and  has  not  been  available.  The  remainder  was  placed  in  the 
control  of  sixteen  trustees.  The  primary  aim  of  the  fund  was 
to  encourage  the  establishment  of  public  school  systems 
for  the  free  education  of  children.  After  this  the  income  from 
the  fund  was  devoted  to  the  training  of  teachers  through  normal 
schools  and  teachers'  institutes. 

In  1875,  a  normal  school  for  whites  was  established  at 
Nashville,  Tennessee.  This  school  assumed  a  leadership  in  the 
development  of  the  normal  school  idea  throughout  the  South. 
By  means  of  scholarships  students  from  the  Southern  States 
were  enabled  to  attend  this  central  training  school.  By  the  deed 
of  trust  the  trustees  were  given  the  power  to  distribute  the  fund 
at  the  exhibition  of  30  years  which  ended  in  1897.  In  January, 
1905,  the  trustees  decided  to  dissolve  the  trust.  The  residue  of 
the  fund  has  been  expended  in  the  endowment  of  the  Peabody 
College  at  Nashville  for  the  higher  education  of  white  teachers. 
Under  the  arrangements  for  the  first  endowment  of  Peabody 


AGENCIES  FOR  NEGRO  EDUCATION.         267 

College  the  Peabody  Fund  donated  the  sum  of  $1,000,000.  Sub 
sequently  thePeabody  Fund  contributed  $500,000.  The  Trustees 
have  also  contributed  funds  in  aid  of  schools  of  education  in 
the  State  universities  and  in  aid  of  rural  education  for  the  negro 
race.  The  fund  for  this  latter  purpose  was  given  in  trust  to 
the  John  F.  Slater  Fund  to  be  adminstered  in  the  interest  of 
rural  public  schools  for  the  negro  race. 

THE  MINER  FUND. 

The  Miner  Fund — This  fund  owes  its  existence  to 
Myrtilla  Miner,  of  Brookfield,  N.  Y.,  who  in  1851  established 
a  normal  school  for  colored  girls  so  that  they  might  become 
teachers.  That  the  work  might  continue  after  her  death,  Con 
gress  in  1862  granted  a  charter  under  the  name  of  "  The  In 
stitution  for  the  Education  of  Colored  Youth/'  to  be  located 
in  the  District  of  Columbia  and  to  educate  and  improve  the 
moral  as  well  as  intellectual  condition  of  such  colored  youth  of 
the  nation  as  might  be  placed  under  its  care  and  influence. 

Miss  Miner  died  in  1864.  The  first  lot  of  ground  for  the 
school  was  in  the  square  on  which  the  British  Legation  is  now 
situated.  In  1872  this  ground  was  sold  for  $40,000  and  a  new 
site  was  purchased  at  Seventh  and  Church  Streets.  Here  the 
Miner  Normal  School  was  conducted  independently  until  1879, 
when  an  arrangement  was  made  with  the  trustees  of  the  public 
schools  of  the  District  of  Columbia  whereby  it  was  agreed  that 
the  Miner  Normal  School  should  be  the  public  normal  school 
for  the  colored  people  of  the  District.  The  building  was  leased 
to  the  District  of  Columbia  at  an  annual  rental  of  $3,600. 

The  Slater  Fund— Early  in  1882,  John  F.  Slater,  of  Nor 
wich,  Connecticut,  created  a  trust  fund  of  $1,000,000  for  the 
purpose  of  "  uplifting  the  emancipated  population  of  the  South 
ern  States  and  their  posterity."  For  his  generosity  Mr.  Slater 


268        AGENCIES  FOR  NEGRO  EDUCATI0N. 

was  voted  a  medal  by  Congress.  Neither  the  principal  nor  in 
come  of  the  fund  may  be  used  for  land  or  buildings,  the  money 
being  designed  to  prepare  teachers  and  for  the  development 
of  industrial  education.  Public  and  private  schools  are  helped. 
Upward  of  fifty  schools  are  helped  annually.  Dr.  Washington 
received  some  aid  in  the  upbuilding  of  Tuskegee  from  the  trus 
tees  of  this  fund. 

THE  HAND  FUND. 

The  Hand  Fund — was  established  in  1888,  by  Daniel  Hand, 
of  Guilford,  Conn.,  who  gave  the  American  Missionary  Asso 
ciation  $1,000,000  to  aid  in  the  education  of  the  negro.  Mr. 
Hand  also  provided  that  his  residuary  estate  amounting  to 
$500,000  should  be  devoted  to  the  same  purpose. 

General  Education  Board — John  D.  Rockefeller  contribut 
ed  $1,000,000  as  a  fund  to  be  devoted  to  the  promotion  of  educa 
tion  in  the  United  States,  in  1902  and  the  following  year.  The 
board  is  empowered  to  assist  in  any  way  to  improve  the  primary 
schools,  industrial  schools,  technical  schools,  normal  schools, 
training  schools  for  teachers,  or  schools  of  any  grade  or  institu 
tions  of  higher  learning.  In  1905  Mr.  Rockefeller  gave  to  the 
board  as  a  permanent  endowment  $10,000,000.  In  1907  he  gave 
a  further  sum  of  $32,000,000,  one- third  of  which  was  to  be 
added  to  the  permanent  endowment  and  two-thirds  to  be  sup 
plied  to  such  specific  objects  as  Mr.  Rockefeller  or  his  son  might 
designate.  In  1909  he  added  $10,000,000  more,  banging  the 
total  of  his  gift  up  to  $53,000,000.  The  money  is  utilized  in  the 
promotion  of  practical  farming  in  co-operation  with  the  Depart 
ment  of  Agriculture  through  the  Co-operative  Demonstration 
Work;  in  giving  assistance  to  public  high  schools  in  the  South; 
the  promotion  of  higher  education,  and  in  promoting  the  work  of 
worthy  negro  schools  and  institutions.  About  $12,000,000  has 
been  distributed  by  the  fund. 


AGENCIES  FOR  NEGRO  EDUCATION.         269 

The  Anna  T.  Jeanes  Fund — This  is  one  of  the  last  of  the 
big  educational  funds.  Miss  Jeanes,  a  Quakeress,  of  Phila 
delphia,  created  an  endowment  in  1907,  the  income  from  which 
was  to  be  specifically  applied  to  the  maintenance  and  aid  of 
elementary  schools  for  negroes  in  the  South.  Among  the 
trustees  of  the  fund  was  Dr.  Washington,  of  Tuskegee  Insti 
tute. 

FUND  PROVIDES  FOR  SUPERVISOR. 

The  plan  of  operation  is  in*  the  nature  of  rural  service. 
A  teacher  was  located  in  a  center  under  the  direction  of  the 
county  superintendent,  from  where  she  went  to  the  small  schools 
to  introduce  and  supervise  industrial  work.  This  developed  a 
form  of  work  which  is  practically  under  the  direction  of  a  super 
vising  county  teacher  provided  for  entirely  by  the  fund.  From 
$30,000  to  $40,000  has  been  spent  in  a  year  in  the  work. 

A  fund  established  by  the  will  of  Miss  Caroline  Phelps 
Stokes  of  New  York,  who  died  in  1909,  and  known  as  the 
Phelps-Stokes  Fund,  provided  among  other  things  for  the  estab 
lishment  of  fellowships  at  the  University  of  Virginia  and  the 
University  of  Georgia.  The  sum  of  $12,500  is  given  to  each  of 
these  institutions,  with  the  proviso  that  the  universities  shall 
appoint  annually  a  fellow  in  Sociology  for  the  study  of  the 
negro.  The  fellows  appointed  must  prepare  a  thesis  embody 
ing  the  result  of  their  investigations,  which  are  to  be  published 
by  the  institutions. 

The  fund  also  provides  for  the  use  of  $10,000  to  be  avail 
able  to  Peabody  College  for  Teachers,  at  Nashville,  for  visita 
tion  of  negro  schools  and  colleges,  and  also  the  undertaking  of 
comprehensive .  investigation,  in  co-operation  with  the  United 
States  Board  of  Education,  of  negro  education,  as  well  as  to 
provide  assistance  in  the  rural  schools  work  primarily  in  the 
province  of  the  Jeans  Fund. 


270        AGENCIES  FOR  NEGRO  EDUCATION. 

Among  the  other  sums  left  for  the  education  of  the  negro, 
at  various  times,  was  $1,000,000  under  the  will  of  Col.  John  Mo 
Kee,  of  Philadelphia,  for  the  establishment  of  the  Col.  John  Mc- 
Kee  College,  and  $36,000  to  Tuskegee  Institute  by  Mary  E. 
Shaw,  a  colored  woman  in  New  York. 

MUCH  GOOD  FROM  NEGRO  STUDY. 

Aside  from  the  immediate  educational  work  developed  01 
aided  by  these  agencies  and  others,  including  the  American 
Missionary  Society,  the  directing  of  attention  to  the  study  of 
the  negro  resulted  in  much  good.  Necessarily  students  in  col 
leges,  compelled  to  make  sociological  studies  of  the  negro,  by 
these  very  circumstances  gave  impetus  to  the  work  of  investi 
gating  and  improving  conditions.  A  number  of  classes  were  or 
ganized,  reports  and  thesis  prepared  and  read,  and  within  a 
period  of  half  a  dozen  years  the  study  of  the  negro  in  varying 
phases  was  brought  directly  to  the  attention  of  thousands  of 
students  in  the  white  colleges,  while  the  results  of  the  inquiries 
and  the  information  received  were  made  available  to  the  negroes 
among  whom  great  interest  was  aroused.  The  churches — both 
white  and  black — in  many  sections,  either  through  organiza 
tions  within  the  body  or  directly,  have  worked  along  similar 
lines,  developing  through  one  channel  or  another  some  form  of 
social  service  or  contructive  aid. 

An  effect  of  the  work  done  by  Dr.  Washington,  the  institu 
tion  which  he  builded,  and  other  schools  and  organizations,  in 
the  way  of  improving  the  general  health  conditions  among  the 
negroes,  has  a  significance  which  has  not  been  referred  to. 

The  modern  idea  of  education  includes  a  knowledge  of  mat 
ters  of  health.  There  can  be  no  development  of  an  unhealthy 
animal  on  the  farm,  nor  can  there  be  much  development  for 
the  man  or  woman,  irrespective  of  race,  who  is  not  mentally  or 


AGENCIES  FOR  NEGRO  EDUCATION.         271 

physically  able  to  respond  to  any  training  to  which  he  or  she  may 
be  subjected. 

Since  the  white  man,  perhaps  for  selfish  motives,  has 
taken  to  overlooking  the  sanitary  conditions  under  which  the 
negro  exists,  both  in  the  city  and  in  the  country,  and  advanced 
educators  like  Dr.  Washington  have  taught  the  colored  people 
the  value  of  "  the  bath  "  as  a  health  agency,  the  mortality  rate 
among  negroes  in  the  United  States  has  decreased  materially. 

NEGRO  IN  HEALTH  AND  SICKNESS. 

Statistics  compiled  regarding  the  negro  in  health  and  sick 
ness  show  a  very  large  percentage  of  illness  and  a  very  high 
death  rate.  It  has  been  constantly  held  for  years  that  the  negro 
has  less  resisting  power  than  whites,  but  this  impression  was 
largely  created  by  the  fact  that  the  negro  always  seemed  to 
be  suffering  from  some  malady,  and  by  the  very  high  death  rate. 
But  it  has  not  yet  been  proved  that  this  is  so.  As  a  matter  of 
fact  the  lessons  which  the  negroes  are  learning  about  hygiene, 
sanitation,  cleanliness  and  health  have  resulted  in  a  very  marked 
decrease  in  the  mortality  figures  in  the  last  half  dozen  years. 

It  has  been  frequently  stated  that  the  negro  has  a  predis 
position  to  tuberculosis,  but  any  set  of  people  in  which  such  a 
large  percentage  live  for  years  in  unhealthy  and  unsanitary 
surroundings  would  provide  material  for  statistics  tending  to 
prove  them  tubercular.  Were  it  not  for  the  out-door  life  which 
a  very  large  portion  of  the  negroes  lead,  not  only  in  the  country, 
but  even  in  the  city  slums,  it  is  probable  that  the  death  rate 
would  be  much  higher. 

The  statistics  show  that  in  the  neighborhood  of  seventeen 
per  cent,  of  all  the  deaths  among  negroes  annually  are  due  to 
tuberculosis,  and  that  the  next  largest  numbers  are  caused  by 
pneumonia  and  heart  disease.  At  the  1914  session  of  the  an- 


272        AGENCIES  FOR  NEGRO  EDUCATION. 

nual  Negro  Conference  in  Tuskegee,  figures  were  shown  to 
prove  that  nearly  one  half  of  the  annual  deaths  among  negroes 
were  preventable,  and  that  a  sufficiency  of  pure  water,  pure 
air  and  pure  food  would  immediately  add  ten  years  to  the  aver 
age  of  negro  lives.  It  was  estimated  that  the  economic  value 
of  each  negro  whose  death  was  preventable  was  $1,700,  and 
that  the  total  loss  incurred  to  the  South  through  needless  illness 
and  death  of  negroes  was  $300,000,000,  out  of  which  one-half 
could  be  saved.  The  conclusion  reached  was  that  it  would  pay 
the  South  to  spend  $100,000,000  to  improve  negro  health,  and 
that  the  resultant  savings  from  an  economic  standpoint  would 
justify  the  expenditure  of  that  sum — $150,000,000  on  schools 
and  education. 

GREATER  THAN  INCREASE  OF  NEGRO  POPULATION. 

The  back  to  the  farm  movement  among  the  negroes  is  a 
reality,  the  latest  statistics  showing  that  the  percentage  of  in 
crease  among  negroes  owning  or  operating  farms  was  greater 
than  the  increase  of  negro  population.  The  educational  statis 
tics  show  as  great  increases  in  the  activities  and  improvement, 
also. 

In  1860  the  total  number  of  Afro- Americans  m  the  United 
States  was  4,441,830.  In  1910,  according  to  the  last  Govern 
ment  census,  there  were  9,827,763  negroes  in  the  country.  At 
the  close  of  the  war  there  were  scarcely  more  than  five  per  cent, 
of  the  entire  colored  population  that  could  read  or  write,  while 
in  1910  the  per  cent,  of  illiterate  negroes  over  ten  years  of  age 
was  given  at  30.4.  The  1910  report  showed  that  out  of  nearly 
three  and  one-half  million  colored  children  of  school  age,  not 
more  than  47  per  cent,  were  in  attendance  at  school. 

With  the  mortality  rate  among  the  negroes  decreasing, 
the  ownership  of  land  increasing,  the  percentage  of  illiterates 


AGENCIES  FOR  NEGRO  EDUCATION.         273 

decreasing,  larger  number  of  children  in  regular  attendance 
at  school,  it  is  self-evident  that  the  negro  is  progressing.  He 
apparently  got  safely  past  that  period  where  he  for  a  time 
seemed  to  lie  absolutely  dormant  and  he  can  afford  to  be  some 
what  proud. 


18-W 


CHAPTER  XXI. 
THE  INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING. 

AT  no  time  in  his  career  did  Booker  T.  Washington  seek  to 
take  credit  for  having  originated  the  idea  of  industrial 
training  for  the  negro.  The  methods  which  he  adopted 
— at  least  the  basic  principles — were  being  applied  at  Hampton 
when  he  first  went  there,  and  had  been  from  its  inception. 

Nor  was  the  idea  original  with  General  Samuel  C.  Arm 
strong  the  founder  of  Hampton  Institute,  for  before  the  war  a 
number  of  suggestions  were  made  and  plans  proposed  for  the 
establishment  of  industrial  schools  to  train  the  children  of  free? 
negroes  in  the  North. 

The  adoption  of  the  industrial  training  idea  in  the  educa 
tion  of  the  negro  was  the  logical  outgrowth  of  a  condition  that 
followed  the  freeing  of  the  slaves  and  the  throwing  of  the 
negroes  on  their  own  resources. 

In  the  early  days  of  slavery  those  held  in  bondage  were  the 
farm  and  hamlet  mechanics.  They  were  the  blacksmiths,  the 
shoemakers,  the  carpenters,  the  masons,  the  farmers,  the  butch 
ers — strictly  utilitarian  in  all  matters  of  education. 

In  a  series  of  papers  prepared  by  the  University  of  Penn 
sylvania,  dealing  with  the  negro,  the  history  of  the  occupation 
of  the  negro  in  Philadelphia  and  Pennsylvania  is  given  in  out 
line.  The  report  is  of  interest  because  during  the  abolition 
agitation  and  in  the  period  following  the  war,  Philadelphia  was 
the  half-way-house  between  the  North  and  South  for  the 
negroes.  There  were  many  slaves  owned  in  the  State  in  the 
ante-bellum  days,  and  says  the  report : 

"  There  early  arose  in  the  colony  of  Pennsylvania  the  cus 
tom  of  hiring  out  slaves,  especially  mechanics  and  skilled  work 
men.  This  very  soon  aroused  the  ire  of  the  free  white  work- 

274 


THE  INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING  IDEA.         275 

men,  and  in  1708  and  1722,  we  find  them  petitioning  the  Leg 
islature  against  the  practice,  and  receiving  some  encourage 
ment  therefrom. 

"  As  long,  however,  as  an  influential  class  of  slaveholders 
had  a  direct  financial  interest  in  black  mechanics  they  saw  to 
it  that  neither  law  nor  prejudice  hindered  negroes  from  work 
ing.  Thus  before  and  after  the  Revolution  there  were  me 
chanics  as  well  as  servants  among  the  negroes. 

THE  NEGRO  LARGELY  SURVITORS. 

"  The  proportion  of  servants,  however,  was  naturally  very 
large.  We  have  no  figures  until  1820,  when  of  the  7582 
negroes  in  the  city,  2585  or  34  per  cent,  were  servants;  in  1840, 
27  per  cent,  were  servants.  Some  of  these  servants  represent 
ed  families,  so  that  the  proportion  of  those  dependent  on  domes 
tic  service  was  larger  even  than  the  percentage  indicated.  In 
1896,  in  the  Seventh  Ward,  the  per  cent,  of  servants,  using  the 
same  method  of  computation  was  27.3  per  cent. 

Of  those  not  servants,  the  negroes  themselves  declared  in 
1832  that  '  notwithstanding  the  difficulty  of  getting  places  for 
our  sons  as  apprentices  to  learn  mechanical  trades,  owing  to 
the  prejudices  with  which  we  have  to  contend,  there  are  between 
four  and  five  hundred  people  of  color  in  the  city  and  suburbs 
who  follow  mechanical  employments/ 

'''  In  1838  the  investigator  of  the  Abolition  Society  found 
997  of  the  17,500  negroes  in  the  county  who  had  learned  trades, 
although  only  a  part  of  these  (perhaps  350)  actually  worked 
at  their  trades  at  that  time.  The  rest,  outside  the  servants  and 
men  with  trades,  were  manual  laborers.  Many  of  these  me 
chanics  were  afterward  driven  from  the  city  by  the  mobs. 

"  In  1848  another  study  of  the  negroes  found  the  distribu 
tion  of  the  negroes  as  follows: 


276          THE  INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING  IDEA. 

"  Of  3358  men,  twenty-one  years  of  age  and  over: — 

Laborers 1581 

Waiters,  cooks,  etc 557 

Mechanics 286 

Coachmen,  carters,  etc , 276 

Sailors,  etc 240 

Shopkeepers,  traders,  etc 166 

Barbers 156 

Various  occupations 96 


"  Of  4249  women,  twenty-one  years  and  over  there  were  :- 

Washerwomen 1970 

Seamstresses 486 

Day  workers 786 

In  trades 213 

Housewives 290 

Servants  (living  at  home) 156 

Cooks 173 

Rag  pickers 103 

Various  occupations 72 

4249" 
"  Of  both  sexes  5  to  20  years  of  age  there  were  : — 

School  children 1940 

Unaccounted  for 1200 

At  home 484 

Helpless .  33 

Working  at  home 274 

Servants .  354 

Laborers 253 

Sweeps 12 

Porters 18 

Apprentices  .    ,    .    , 230 

4798  » 


THE  INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING  IDEA.         277 


i« 
ft 


Besides  these  there  were  in  white  families  3716  servants. 
Just  how  accurate  the  statistics  of  1847  were  it  is  now 
difficult  to  say;  probably  there  was  some  exaggeration  from 
the  well-meant  effort  of  the  friends  of  the  negro  to  show  the 
best  side.  Nevertheless  it  seems  as  though  the  diversity  of 
employments  at  this  time  was  considerable,  although  of  course 
under  such  heads  as  '  shopkeepers  and  traders '  street  stands 
more  often  than  stores  were  meant. 

"  In  1856  the  inquiry  appears  to  have  been  more  exhaus 
tive  and  careful,  and  the  number  of  negroes  with  trades  had 
increased  to  1637 — including  barbers  and  dressmakers.  Even 
here,  however,  some  uncertainty  enters,  for  '  less  than  two- 
thirds  of  those  who  have  trades  follow  them.  A  few  of  the 
remainder  pursue  other  avocations  from  choice,  but  the  greater 
number  are  compelled  to  abandon  their  trades  on  account  of  the 
unrelenting  prejudice  against  their  color/  The  following  table 
gives  these  returns: 

OCCUPATION  OF  PHILADELPHIA  NEGROES,  1856. 
Mechanical  Trades. 

Dressmakers 588 

Barbers 248 

Shoemakers 112 

Shirt  and  dressmakers 70 

Brickmakers 53 

Carpenters 49 

Milliners  and  dressmakers 45 

Tailors 49 

Tanners  and  curriers  ...» 24 

Blacksmiths      22 

Cabinetmakers 20 

Weavers 16 

Pastry  cooks 10 

Plasterers 14 

Sailmakers 12 

113  other  trades  with  one  to  nine  in  each 305 

1637 


278         THE  INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING  IDEA. 

"  In  the  light  of  such  historical  testimony  it  seems  certain 
that  the  industrial  condition  of  the  negro  in  the  last  century 
has  undergone  great  vicissitudes,  although  it  is  difficult  to 
trace  them. 

"  In  the  half  century  1840  to  1890  the  proportion  of  negroes 
who  are  domestic  servants  has  not  greatly  changed ;  the  mass  of 
the  remainder  are  still  laborers ;  their  opportunities  for  employ 
ment  have  been  restricted  by  three  causes :  competition,  indus 
trial  change,  color  prejudice. 

NOT  PREPARED  FOR  COMPETITION. 

"  The  competition  has  come  in  later  years  from  the  phe- 
nominal  growth  of  cities  and  the  consequent  hardening  of  con 
ditions  of  life;  the  negro  has  especially  felt  this  change  because 
of  all  the  elements  of  our  urban  population  he  is  least  prepared 
by  previous  training  for  rough,  keen  competition;  the  indus 
trial  changes  since  and  just  before  the  emancipation  of  the 
slaves  have  had  a  great  influence  on  their  development,  to  which 
little  notice  has  hitherto  been  given. 

"  In  the  industrial  history  of  nations  the  change  from  agri 
culture  to  manufacturing  and  trade  has  been  a  long,  delicate 
process :  first  came  house  industries — spinning  and  weaving 
and  the  like ;  then  the  market  with  its  simple  processes  of  bar 
ter  and  sale ;  then  the  permanent  stall  or  shop,  and  at  last  the 
small  retail  store.  In  our  day  this  small  retail  store  is  in  pro 
cess  of  evolution  to  something  larger  and  more  comprehensive. 

"  When  we  look  at  this  development  and  see  how  suddenly 
the  American  city  negro  has  been  snatched  from  agriculture 
to  the  centres  of  trade  and  manufactures,  it  should  not  surprise 
us  to  learn  that  he  has  not  as  yet  succeeded  in  finding  a  perman 
ent  place  in  that  vast  system  of  industrial  co-operation.  Apart 
from  all  questions  of  race,  his  problem  in  this  respect  is  greater 


THE  INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING  IDEA.         279 

than  the  problem  of  the  white  country  boy  or  the  European 
peasant  immigrant,  because  his  previous  industrial  condition 
was  worse  than  theirs  and  less  calculated  to  develop  the  power 
of  self-adjustment,  self-reliance  and  co-operation. 

"  All  these  considerations  are  further  complicated  by  the 
fact  that  the  industrial  condition  of  the  negro  cannot  be  con 
sidered  apart  from  the  great  fact  of  race  prejudice — indefi 
nite  and  shadowy  as  that  phrase  may  be.  It  is  certain  that, 
while  industrial  co-operation  among  the  groups  of  a  great  city 
population  is  very  difficult  under  ordinary  circumstances,  here 
it  is  rendered  more  difficult  and  in  some  respects  almost  im 
possible  by  the  fact  that  nineteen-twentieths  of  the  population 
have  in  many  cases  refused  to  co-operate  with  the  other  twen 
tieth,  even  when  the  co-operation  means  life  to  the  latter  and 
great  advantage  to  the  former. 

ECONOMIC  PROPOSITION  UNTRUE. 

"  In  other  words,  one  of  the  great  postulates  of  the  science 
of  economics — that  men  will  seek  their  economic  advantage — is 
in  this  case  untrue,  because  in  many  cases  men  will  not  do  this 
if  it  involves  association,  even  in  a  casual  way,  with  negroes. 
And  this  fact  must  be  taken  account  of  in  all  judgments  as  to 
the  negro's  economic  progress. 

'  Because  such  a  large  percentage  of  domestic  servants  are 
negroes,  the  report  quoted  says,  the  negro  is  a  central  problem 
in  any  study  of  domestic  service,  and  the  domestic  service  a 
large  part  of  the  negro  problem. 

'  So  long  as  entrance  into  domestic  service  involves  a  loss 
of  all  social  standing  and  consideration,  so  long  will  domes 
tic  service  be  a  social  problem.  The  problem  may  vary  in  char 
acter  with  different  countries  and  times,  but  there  will  always 
be  some  maladjustment  in  social  relations  when  any  consider- 


280          THE  INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING  IDEA. 

able  part  of  a  population  is  required  to  get  its  support  in  a  man 
ner  which  the  other  part  despises,  or  affects  to  despise. 

"  In  the  United  States  the  problem  is  complicated  by  the 
fact  that  for  years  domestic  service  was  performed  by  slaves, 
and  afterward,  up  till  to-day,  largely  by  black  f reedmen — thus 
adding  a  despised  race  to  a  despised  calling.  Even  when  white 
servants  increased  in  number  they  were  composed  of  white 
foreigners,  with  but  a  small  proportion  of  native  Americans. 
Thus  by  long  experience  the  United  States  has  come  to  associate 
domestic  service  with  some  inferiority  in  race  or  training. 

HEALTH,  HAPPINESS  AND  EFFICIENCY. 

"  The  effect  of  this  attitude  on  the  character  of  the  service 
rendered,  and  the  relation  of  mistress  and  maid,  has  been  only 
too  evident,  and  has  in  late  years  engaged  the  attention  of  some 
students  and  many  reformers.  These  have  pointed  out  how 
necessary  and  worthy  a  work  the  domestic  performs,  or  could 
perform,  if  properly  trained;  that  the  health,  happiness  and  effi 
ciency  of  thousands  of  homes,  which  are  training  the  future 
leaders  of  the  republic,  depend  largely  on  their  domestic  service. 
This  is  true,  and  yet  the  remedy  for  present  ills  is  not  clear  un 
til  we  recognize  how  far  removed  the  present  commercial  method 
of  hiring  a  servant  in  market  is  from  that  which  obtained  at  the 
time  when  the  daughters  of  the  family,  or  of  the  neighbor's 
family,  helped  in  the  housework. 

"  In  other  words,  the  industrial  revolution  of  the  century 
has  affected  domestic  service  along  with  other  sorts  of  labor, 
by  separating  employer  and  employed  into  distinct  classes. 
With  the  negro  the  effect  of  this  was  not  apparent  so  long  as 
slavery  lasted ;  the  house  servant  remained  an  integral  part  of 
the  master's  family,  with  rights  and  duties. 

"  When  emancipation  broke  this  relation  there  went  forth 


THE  INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING  IDEA.         281 

to  hire  a  number  of  trained  black  servants,  who  were  welcomed 
South  and  North;  they  liked  their  work,  they  knew  no  other 
kind,  they  understood  it,  and  they  made  ideal  servants.  In 
Philadelphia  twenty  or  thirty  years  ago  there  were  plenty  of 
this  class  of  negro  servants  and  a  few  are  still  left. 

"A  generation  has,  however,  greatly  altered  the  face  of 
affairs.  There  were  in  the  city,  in  1890,  42,795  servants,  and 
of  these  10,235  were  negroes.  Who  are  these  negroes.  No 
longer  members  of  Virginia  households  trained  for  domestic 
work,  but  principally  young  people  who  were  using  domestic 
service  as  a  stepping-stone  to  something  else;  who  worked  as 
servants  simply  because  they  could  get  nothing  else  to  do ;  who 
had  received  no  training  in  service  because  they  never  expected 
to  make  it  their  life-calling. 

A  RELIC  OF  SLAVERY. 

1  They,  in  common  with  their  white  fellow-citizens,  des 
pised  domestic  service  as  a  relic  of  slavery,  and  they  longed 
to  get  other  work  as  their  fathers  had  longed  to  be  free.  In 
getting  other  work,  however,  they  were  not  successful,  partly 
on  account  of  lack  of  ability,  partly  on  account  of  the  strong 
race  prejudice  against  them.  Consequently  to-day  the  ranks 
of  negro  servants,  and  that  means  largely  the  ranks  of  domestic 
service  in  general  in  Philadelphia,  have  received  all  those  whom 
the  harsh  competition  of  a  great  city  has  pushed  down,  all  whom 
a  relentless  color  proscription  has  turned  back  from  other 
chosen  vocations;  half-trained  teachers  and  poorly  equipped 
students  who  have  not  succeeded;  carpenters  and  masons  who 
may  not  work  at  their  trades ;  girls  with  common  school  training, 
eager  for  the  hard  work,  but  respectable  standing  of  shop-girls 
and  factory-hands,  and  proscribed  by  their  color — in  fact  all 
these  young  people,  who,  by  natural  evolution  in  the  case  of  the 


282          THE  INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING  IDEA. 

whites,  would  have  stepped  a  grade  higher  than  their  fathers 
and  mothers  in  the  social  scale,  have  in  the  case  of  the  post- 
bellum  generation  of  negroes  been  largely  forced  back  into  the 
great  mass  of  the  listless  and  incompetent  to  earn  bread  and  but 
ter  by  menial  service. 

"  And  they  resent  it ;  they  are  often  discontented  and  bitter, 
easily  offended  and  without  interest  in  their  work.  Their  at 
titude  and  complaint  increase  the  discontent  of  their  fellows 
who  have  little  ability,  and  probably  could  not  rise  in  the  world 
if  they  might.  And 'above  all,  both  the  disappointed  and  the 
incompetents  are  alike  ignorant  of  domestic  service  in  nearly  all 
its  branches,  and  in  this  respect  are  a  great  contrast  to  the  older 
set  of  negro  servants. 

NOT  SO  WITH  THE  NEGRO  YOUTH. 

"  Under  such  circumstances  the  first  far-sighted  movement 
would  have  been  to  open  such  avenues  of  work  and  employment 
to  young  negroes  that  only  those  best  fitted  for  domestic  work 
would  enter  service.  Of  course  this  is  difficult  to  do  even  for 
the  whites,  and  yet  it  is  still  the  boast  of  America  that,  within 
certain  limits,  talent  can  choose  the  best  calling  for  its  exercise. 
Not  so  with  the  negro  youth.  On  the  contrary,  the  field  for 
exercising  their  talent  and  ambition  is,  broadly  speaking,  con 
fined  to  the  dining-room,  kitchen  and  street.  If  now  competi 
tion  had  drained  off  the  talented  and  aspiring  into  other  ave 
nues,  and  eased  the  competition  in  this  one  vocation,  then  there 
would  have  been  room  for  a  second  movement,  namely,  for 
training  schools,  which  would  fit  the  mass  of  negro  and  white 
domestic  servants  for  their  complicated  and  important  duties. 

"  Such  a  twin  movement — the  diversification  of  negro  in 
dustry  and  the  serious  training  of  domestic  servants — would  do 
two  things ;  it  would  take  the  ban  from  the  calling  of  domestic 


THE  INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING  IDEA.          283 

service  by  ceasing  to  make  '  negro '  and  '  servant '  synony 
mous  terms.  This  would  make  it  possible  for  both  whites  and 
blacks  to  enter  more  freely  into  service  without  a  fatal  and  dis 
heartening  loss  of  self-respect ;  secondly,  it  would  furnish  train 
ed  servants — a  necessity  to-day,  as  any  housekeeper  can  testify. 

"  Such  a  movement  did  not,  however,  take  place,  but,  on 
the  contrary,  another  movement.  English  trained  servants, 
the  more  docile  Swedes  and  better  paid  white  servants  were 
brought  in  to  displace  negro  servants. 

Moreover,  the  substitution  has  not  met  with  active  opposi 
tion  or  economic  resistence  on  the  part  of  the  negro,  because 
fulJy  one-half  of  those  in  domestic  service  would  only  be  too  glad 
to  get  other  work  of  any  kind. 

CRIME,  PAUPERISM  AND  IDLENESS. 

"  What  then  has  been  the  result  of  these  economic  changes? 
The  result  has  undoubtedly  been  the  increase  of  crime,  pauper 
ism  and  idleness  among  negroes ;  because  they  are  being  to  some 
extent  displaced  as  servants,  no  corresponding  opening  for 
employment  in  other  lines  has  been  made.  How  long 
can  such  a  process  continue?  How  long  can  a  com 
munity  pursue  such  a  contradictory  economic  policy — first  con 
fining  a  large  portion  of  its  population  to  a  pursuit  which  public 
opinion  persists  in  looking  down  upon  then  displacing  them  even 
there  by  better  trained  arid  better  trained  competitors.  Man 
ifestly  such  a  course  is  bound  to  make  that  portion  of  the  com 
munity  a  burden  on  the  public ;  to  debauch  its  women,  pauperize 
its  men,  and  ruin  its  homes ;  it  makes  the  one  central  question, 
not  imperative  social  betterments,  raising  of  the  standard  of 
home  life,  taking  advantage  of  the  civilizing  institutions  of 
the  great  city — on  the  contrary,  it  makes  it  a  sheer  question 
of  bread  and  butter  and  the  maintenance  of  a  standard  of 
living  above  that  of  the  Virginia  plantation. 


284          THE  INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING  IDEA. 

"  The  most  noticeable  thing  about  the  negro  laborers  as 
a  whole  is  their  uneven  quality.  There  are  some  first-class, 
capable  and  willing  workers,  who  have  held  their  positions  for 
years  and  give  perfect  satisfaction.  On  the  other  hand,  there 
are  numbers  of  inefficient  and  unintelligent  laborers  on  whom 
employers  cannot  rely  and  who  are  below  average  American 
labor  in  ability. 

"  This  unevenness  arises  from  two  causes :  the  different 
training  of  the  various  groups  of  negroes  composing  the  city 
population;  some  are  the  descendants  of  generations  of  free 
negroes;  some  of  trained  house-servants,  long  in  close  contact 
with  their  master's  families ;  others  are  the  sons  of  field  hands, 
untouched  and  untrained  by  contact  with  civilized  institutions : 
all  this  vast  difference  in  preparation  shows  vast  differences  in 
results. 

SKILLED  NEGROES  NOT  OFTEN  CHOSEN. 

'  The  second  reason  lies  in  the  increased  competition  with 
in  the  group,  and  the  growing  lack  of  incentive  to  good  work, 
owing  to  the  difficulty  of  escaping  from  manual  toil  into  higher 
and  better  paid  callings;  the  higher  classes  of  white  labor  are 
continually  being  incorporated  into  the  skilled  trades,  or  clerical 
workers,  or  other  higher  grades  of  labor.  Sometimes  this  hap 
pens  with  negroes  but  not  often. 

"  The  first-class  ditcher  can  seldom  become  foreman  of  a 
gang;  the  hod-carrier  can  seldom  become  a  mason;  the  porter 
cannot  have  much  hope  of  being  a  clerk,  or  the  elevator-boy  of 
becoming  a  salesman.  Consequently  we  find  the  ranks  of  the 
laborers  among  negroes  filled  to  an  unusual  extent  with  disap 
pointed  men,  with  men  who  have  lost  the  incentive  to  excel, 
and  have  become  chronic  grumblers  and  complainers,  spreading 
this  spirit  further  than  it  would  naturally  go.  At  the  same 


THE  INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING  IDEA. 


285 


time  this  shutting  off  the  natural  outlet  for  ability  means  an  in 
crease  of  competition  for  ordinary  work/' 

These  are  some  of  the  conditions  which  Dr.  Washington 
saw  with  clear  vision  when  he  urged  industrial  training  and 
education  for  the  negro  and  sought  to  show  as  large  a  propor 
tion  of  his  people  to  stick  to  the  farms  of  the  South  instead  of 
migrating  to  the  city. 

And  the  result  of  his  training  in  this  direction?  The  fol 
lowing  table  will  show  the  increasing  number  of  negroes  who 
are  working  in  the  field  of  industry,  despite  the  prejudice  that 
they  must  overcome  in  the  minds  of  employers  and  among  the 
workmen : 


^TVorJcke 

Number  In 

JL  laQcS 

1890 

1900 

1910 

Carpentry    

22  3  l8 

211  IJ. 

2Q  O3Q 

Plastering   

4,OO6 

*,  ±  ,  i  i^. 
7.7C7 

•^y^jy 
6  78* 

Brick  and  Tile  making    

TO  S2I 

O>/  J/ 
9.Q7O 

v')/uo 
18  7o^ 

Marble  and  Stone  Cutting  

j.^j3^j. 
I.27Q 

ly/v 
1,2^7 

1<J)/^j 
I  788 

Blacksmithi  ng  and  Wheelwrighting  .    . 
Boot  and  Shoe  making1     

mi*/y 

11,159 

5.06$ 

•*•?•"  j  / 
10,480 

A  $7  A 

*>/*"* 

10,981 

6  7o6 

Harness  and  Saddle  making  

5>v-"-'j 

20  1; 

T-JJ/T- 
277 

421 

Leather  Currying,  and  Tanning  .... 
Trunk  and  Case  making  

*yj 
1,099 

66 

*/  o 

1,073 

27 

2,272 
88 

2C 

*>j 
22 

3O 

Hosiery  and  Knitting  

*3 

64 

^6 

jv 
816 

Woolen  Milling- 

^T- 
1A.6 

3^ 
1  60 

1AT. 

The  story  of  the  life  of  Dr.  Washington  would  not  be 
complete  without  some  description  of  the  institution  which 
directly  furnished  the  inspiration  for  his  success.  That  institu 
tion — Hampton — and  the  methods  employed  which  gave  him 
the  basic  ideas  for  his  own  Tuskegee  will  always  stand  in  the 
world  of  educational  history  in  the  relation  of  father  to  son. 

It  was  here  the  utilitarian  idea  first  impressed  itself  on 
the  mind  of  Dr.  Washington.  The  Institute,  as  previously 
noted,  was  the  outgrowth  of  a  school  started  by  the  American 


286          THE  INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING  IDEA. 

Missionary  Society  at  Fortress  Monroe,  and  the  dominating 
figure  in  its  history,  General  Samuel  C.  Armstrong,  like  Dr. 
Washington,  made  his  way  through  college  by  his  own  efforts. 
The  idea  of  industrial  education  for  the  negro  did  not  have 
its  inception  with  General  Armstrong,  for  in  the  early  history 
of  the  education  of  the  negro — before  the  war — movements 
were  started  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  industrial  schools 
for  the  children  of  free  colored  people. 

INSTITUTE'S  INDUSTRIAL  SHOWING. 

When  Dr.  Washington  first  went  from  over  the  Virginia 
hills  and  valleys  to  Hampton,  it  had  much  that  was  lacking  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  but  the  educational  principles  were  the 
same.  Of  the  more  than  125  buildings  and  cottages  on  the 
institute  grounds  about  one-fifth  are  of  brick,  for  the  majority 
of  which  the  bricks  were  made  on  the  grounds  while  the  lumber 
was  manufactured  from  the  rough  logs  in  the  school  saw  mill. 
Altogether  more  than  75  of  the  buildings  were  actually  erected 
and  nearly  all  of  the  materials  made  by  the  students.  And  in 
the  case  of  Tuskegee,  all  of  the  repairs  on  the  buildings,  includ 
ing  brickwork,  plastering,  plumbing,  steamfitting,  painting  and 
tinning  were  made  by  students  of  the  trade  school. 

The  home  farm,  where  the  students  learn  practical  farm 
ing,  contains  more  than  120  acres,  including  an  orchard,  nurs 
ery,  fields  for  growing  grain  and  forage,  crops,  truck  and  small 
fruits,  greenhouses  and  quarters  for  two  score  head  of  horses 
and  half  a  hundred  fine  cows. 

The  Shellbanks,  six  miles  away  from  the  school,  is  a  farm 
owned  by  the  institution  where  a  practical  agriculture  train 
ing  is  secured  by  the  students  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the  word. 
The  farm  contains  587  acres  and  is  stocked  with  cattle,  horses, 
mules,  hogs  and  poultry  of  the  very  best  breeds.  More  than 


THE  INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING  IDEA.          287 

three-fourths  of  the  land  is  under  cultivation  and  students  in  the 
agricultural  department  live  there  during  part  of  their  course. 
The  principal  buildings  include  Virginia  Hall,  the  oldest 
of  the  large  buildings  now  standing.  It  was  built  in  1873,  and 
was  "  sung  up  "  by  a  band  of  Hampton  singers.  This  feature 
of  the  life  of  the  school  is  worthy  of  comment.  General  Arm 
strong  sent  forth  under  a  commander,  bands  of  student  "  Jubi 
lee  singers/'  who  rendered  the  old  plantation  melodies — gave 
in  fact  concerts,  by  which  funds  were  raised.  The  hall  was 
formerly  opened  in  1878. 

BUILDINGS  OF  THE  INSTITUTE. 

Cleveland  Hall  is  a  brick  addition  to  Virginia  Hall,  and 
contains  a  chapel  seating  more  than  a  thousand  persons.  It 
was  named  for  the  philanthropist,  Charles  Dexter  Cleveland, 
of  Philadelphia.  Academic  Hall  was  first  erected  in  1868. 
The  building  was  burned  in  1879,  and  a  new  brick  structure 
was  erected.  The  Science  Building  adjoins  the  Hall  and  was 
provided  for  by  the  gift  of  friends  in  the  North  in  1889.  The 
Stone  Building  contains  the  printing  office,  post  office,  publica 
tion  office,  store  and  dormitories  for  young  men,  and  was  the 
gift  of  Mrs.  Valeria  Stone,  of  Massachusetts. 

The  Wigwam  is  the  Indian  boys'  building  and  was  erected 
in  1878,  and  Wionna  Lodge  was  built  in  1882  for  the  Indian 
girls.  Marshall  Hall  is  the  museum  and  the  record  offices. 
It  was  originally  the  administration  building.  The  Armstrong- 
Memorial  Trade  School  was  opened  in  November,  1896.  The 
building  has  a  floor  space  of  60,000  square  feet  divided  into 
rooms  for  the  various  trades  and  is  built  on  the  plan  of  a  quad 
ruple  cross  with  interior  court  yard. 

Domestic  Science  Building,  was  erected  in  1898,  and  is 
devoted  to  the  use  of  the  Domestic  Science  Department  and  the 


288         THE  INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING  IDEA. 

Agricultural  Department.  The  Huntington  Memorial  Library 
was  dedicated  in  1903,  by  President  Hadley  of  Yale  University. 
The  building  was  the  gift  of  Mrs.  C.  P.  Huntington.  The 
Whittier  School  is  a  free  school  for  the  colored  children  of 
the  vicinity  and  is  used  as  a  school  of  practice  or  training  school 
for  teachers. 

The  students  in  the  school  are  under  military  discipline 
and  practically  the  same  rules  prevail  as  at  Tuskegee.  In  the 
trade  course  blacksmithing,  bricklaying,  plastering,  cabinet- 
making,  carpentry,  wheelwrighting,  plumbing,  tailoring,  tins- 
ing,  steamfitting,  wheelwrighting,  plumbing,  tailoring,  tins- 
smithing  and  upholstery  are  taught.  There  are  also  Manual 
Training  Courses  for  those  who  wish  to  become  trade  teachers ; 
business  course,  matron's  course,  teacher's  course,  agriculture, 
academic  course  and  special  courses. 

There  are  at  Tuskegee  Institute  a  number  of  teachers  and 
others  who  graduated  from  Tuskegee,  and  while  the  institutions 
are  very  similar  and  Tuskegee  in  its  development  under  Dr. 
Washington,  followed  closely  after  the  pattern  he  found  at 
Hampton,  the  two  differ  in  appearance  and  in  many  other 
respects.  Tuskegee,  does  not,  for  instance,  make  any  special 
effort  at  providing  education  for  Indians.  Tuskegee,  too,  is 
entirely  negro,  with  absolutely  no  dominating  white  influence, 
except  as  relates  to  the  trustees,  while  Hampton  was  conceived 
by  and  directed  by  white  people. 

The  history  of  Hampton  and  that  of  Tuskegee  will  always 
be  linked,  for  General  Armstrong  was  always  the  watchful  pre 
ceptor  and  friend  of  Dr.  Washington,  who  helped  to  make  his 
work  possible  and  Dr.  Washington  never  ceased  to  appreciate 
the  wonderful  work  which  Dr.  Armstrong  did  and  to  acknow 
ledge  his  debt  of  gratitude  for  what  the  pioneer  industrial 
teacher  of  the  negroes  did  for  him. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
EVERYTHING  LEADS  TO  THE  HOME. 

ONE  phase  of  the  vision  of  Dr.  Washington  which  his 
home-life  exemplified,  related  to  the  importance  of  the 
home-circle  in  community  life  and  the  advancement 
of  a  people.  That  portion  of  his  educational  work  which  tend 
ed  toward  giving  the  negroes  some  appreciation  of  the  value 
of  a  home,  "  no  matter  how  humble/'  was  sometimes  not  appre 
ciated  from  an  academic  educational  standpoint,  but  Dr.  Wash 
ington  was  building  a  race,  and  not  an  individual,  and  he  had  to 
begin  at  the  bottom. 

The  system  of  slavery  from  which  his  people  were  freed 
had  wrested  from  them,  and  trodden  under  foot,  any  possible 
ideals  they  might  have  had  regarding  home  life.  There  were 
no  opportunities  to  create  homes — or  at  least  few  such — and 
it  has  been  recognized  that  no  peoples  can  begin  to  make  real 
progress  until  they  have  had  aroused  in  them  appreciation  of 
the  influence  of  home. 

In  his  famous  Sunday  evening  talks  to  his  students  at  Tus- 
kegee  Institute,  Dr.  Washington  frequently  chose  for  his  topic 
such  subjects  as  "  System  in  Home  Life  "  and  the  institution 
which  he  reared  was  built  upon  just  such  a  foundation  as  that 
on  which  it  is  necessary  to  build  the  home — high  ideals. 

Students  of  the  races ,  of  the  wild  men  of  forests,  can  tell 
by  the  sort  of  huts  they  live  in  how  far  from  civilization  are  the 
tribes  they  find. 

In  the  social  study  of  the  negro  made  by  the  University 

of  Pennsylvania,  referred  to  in  the  preceding  chapter,  the  home 

life  of  the  .  negro  is   discussed  in  its   relation   to   civilization. 

'  Among  the  masses  of  the  negro  people  in  America/'  says  the 

19-W  289 


290        EVERYTHING  LEADS  TO  THE  HOME. 

report,  "  Monogamatic  Home  is  comparatively  a  new  institution 
— not  more  than  two  or  three  generations  old. 

"  Leaving  the  slums  and  coming  to  the  great  mass  of  the 
negro  population  we  see  undoubted  effort  has  been  made  to  es 
tablish  homes.  Two  great  hindrances,  however,  cause  much 
mischief :  the  low  wages  of  men  and  the  high  rents.  The  low 
wages  of  men  make  it  necessary  for  mothers  to  work  and  in 
numbers  of  cases  to  work  away  from  home  several  days  in  the 
week.  This  leaves  the  children  without  guidance  or  restraint 
for  the  better  part  of  the  day — a  thing  disastrous  to  manners 
and  morals.  To  this  must  be  added  the  result  of  high  rents, 
namely,  the  lodging  system.  Whoever  wishes  to  live  in  the 
centre  of  negro  population,  near  the  great  churches  and  near 
work,  must  pay  high  rent  for  a  decent  house. 

ABSENCE  OF  REAL  HOME  LIFE. 

"  This  rent  the  average  negro  family  cannot  afford,  and 
to  get  the  house  they  sub-rent  a  part  to  lodgers.  As  a  conse-1 
quence,  38  per  cent,  of  the  homes  in  the  territory  investigated 
have  unknown  strangers  admitted  freely  into  their  doors.  The 
result  is,  on  the  whole,  pernicious,  especially  where  there  are 
growing  children.  Moreover,  the  tiny  'Philadelphia  houses 
are  ill  suited  to  a  lodging  system.  The  lodgers  are  often  wait 
ers,  who  are  home  between  meals,  at  the  very  hours  when  the 
housewife  is  off  at  work,  and  growing  daughters  are  thus  left 
unprotected. 

"  In  some  cases,  though  this  is  less  often,  servant  girls  and 
other  female  lodgers  are  taken.  In  such  ways  the  privacy  and 
intimacy  of  home  life  are  destroyed,  and  elements  of  danger  and 
demoralization  admitted.  Many  families  see  this  and  refuse 
to  take  lodgers,  and  move  where  they  can  afford  the  rent  without 
help.  This  involves  more  deprivations  to  a  socially  ostracized 


EVERYTHING  LEADS  TO  THE  HOME.       291 

race  like  the  negro  than  to  whites,  since  it  often  means  hostile 
neighbors  or  no  social  intercourse.  If  a  number  of  negroes 
settle  together,  the  real  estate  agents  dump  undesirable  elements 
among  them,  which  some  enthusiastic  association  has  driven 
from  the  slums. 

"  Nevertheless,  the  spirit  of  home  life  is  steadily  growing. 
Nearly  all  of  the  housewives  deplore  the  lodging  system  and 
the  work  that  keeps  them  away  from  home;  and  there  is  a  wide 
spread  desire  to  remedy  these  evils  and  the  other  evil 
which  is  akin  to  them,  the  allowing  of  children  and  young 
women  to  be  out  unattended  at  night. 

PLEASANT  FAMILY  LIFE. 

"  In  the  better  class  families  there  is  a  pleasant  family  life 
of  distinctly  Quaker  characteristics.  One  can  go  into  such 
homes  and  find  all  the  quiet  comfort  and  simple  good-hearted 
fare  that  one  would  expect  among  well-bred  people.  In  some 
cases  the  homes  are  lavishly  furnished,  in  others  they  are 
homely  and  old-fashioned. 

"  The  mass  of  the  negro  people  must  be  taught  sacredly 
to  guard  the  home,  to  make  it  the  centre  of  social  life  and  moral 
guardianship.  This  it  is  largely  among  the  best  class  of 
negroes,  but  it  might  he  made  even  more  conspicuously  so  than 
it  is. 

:<  On  the  whole,  the  negro  has  few  family  festivals ;  birth 
days  are  not  often  noticed,  Christmas  is  a  time  of  church  and 
general  entertainments,  Thanksgiving  is  coming  to  be  widely 
celebrated,  but  here  again  in  churches  as  much  as  in  homes. 
The  home  was  destroyed  by  slavery,  struggled  up  after  eman 
cipation  and  is  again  not  exactly  threatened,  but  neglected  in  the 
life  of  city  negroes.  Herein  lies  food  for  thought. 

"  Notwithstanding  the  large  influence  of  the  physical  en- 


292       EVERYTHING  LEADS  TO  THE  HOME. 

vironment  of  home,  there  is  a  far  mightier  atmosphere 
to  mold  and  make  the  citizen,  and  that  is  the  social  atmosphere 
which  surrounds  him:  first  his  daily  companionship,  the 
thoughts  and  whims  of  his  class;  then  his  recreations  and 
amusements ;  finally  the  surrounding  world  of  American  civili 
zation,  which  the  negro  meets  especially  in  his  economic 
life. 

"  There  is  always  a  strong  tendency  on  the  part  of  the 
community  to  consider  negroes  as  composing  one  practically 
homogeneous  mass.  This  view  has  of  course  a  certain  justi 
fication  :  the  people  of  negro  descent  in  this  land  have  had  a  com 
mon  history,  suffer  to-day  common  disabilities,  and  contribute 
to  one  general  set  of  social  problems.  And  yet  if  statistics 
have  emphasized  any  one  face  it  is  that  wide  variations 
in  antecedents,  wealth,  intelligence  and  general  efficiency  have 
already  been  differentiated  within  this  group. 

DIFFERENCES  OF  CONDITION  AND  POWER. 

"  These  differences  are  not,  to  be  sure,  so  great  or  so  patent 
as  those  among  the  whites  of  to-day,  and  yet  they  undoubtedly 
equal  the  difference  among  the  masses  of  the  people  in  certain 
sections  of  the  land  fifty  or  one  hundred  years  ago;  and  there 
is  no  surer  way  of  misunderstanding  the  negro  or  being  mis 
understood  by  him  than  by  ignoring  manifest  differences  of 
condition  and  power. 

"When  the  statistics  on  which  the  report  quoted  were 
gathered  concerning  the  families,  each  family  was  put  in  one 
of  four  groups : 

"  Grade  i :  Families  of  undoubted  respectability  earning 
sufficient  income  to  live  well;  not  engaged  in  menial  service 
of  any  kind;  the  wife  engaged  in  no  occupation  save  that  of 
house-wife,  except  in  a  few  cases  where  she  had  special  employ- 


EVERYTHING  LEADS  TO  THE  HOME.       293 

ment  at  home.     The  children  not  compelled  to  be  bread  winners, 
but  found  in  school;  the  family  living  in  a  well-kept  home. 

:t  Grade  2:  The  respectable  working-class;  in  comfortable 
circumstances,  with  a  good  home,  and  having  steady  remunera 
tive  work.  The  younger  children  in  school. 

"  Grade  3. :  The  poor;  persons  not  earning  enough  to  keep 
them  at  all  times  above  want;  honest,  although  not  always  en 
ergetic  or  thrifty,  and  with  no  touch  of  gross  immorality  or 
crime.  Including  the  very  poor,  and  the  poor. 

'  Grade  4 :  The  lowest  class  of  criminals,  prostitutes  and 
loafers;  the  "  submerged  tenth." 

FOUR  CLASSES  OF  HUMANITY. 

"  Thus  we  have  in  these  four  grades  the  criminals,  the 
poor,  the  laborers,  and  the  well-to-do.  The  last  class  repre 
sents  the  ordinary  middle-class  folk  of  most  modern  countries, 
and  contains  the  germs  of  other  social  classes  which  the  negro 
has  not  yet  clearly  differentiated. 

In  discussing  the  relationship  of  these  groups  some  inter 
esting  facts  are  brought  to  light  regarding  the  social  situation, 
which  makes  it  hard  for  those  trying  to  rise  above  the  level. 
Of  those  classed  in  the  second  group  the  report  says :  "  They 
are  hard  working  people,  proverbially  good  natured;  lacking  a 
little  in  foresight  and  forehandedness  and  in  '  push/  They 
are  honest,  faithful,  of  fair  and  improving  morals,  and  begin 
ning  to  accumulate  property.  The  great  drawback  is  the  lack 
of  congenial  occupation  especially  among  young  men  and 
women,  and  consequent  wide-spread  dissatisfaction  and  comj 
plaint. 

"  As  a  class  these  persons  are  ambitious ;  the  majority  can 
read  and  write,  many  have  a  common  school  training,  and  all 
are  anxious  to  rise  in  the  world.  Their  wages  are  low  com- 


294       EVERYTHING  LEADS  TO  THE  HOME. 

pared  with  corresponding  classes  of  white  workmen,  their  rents 
are  high,  and  the  field  of  advancement  opened  to  them  is  very 
limited.  The  best  expression  of  the  life  of  this  group  is  the  negro 
church,  where  their  social  life  centers,  and  where  they  discuss 
their  situation  and  prospects. 

"  A  note  of  disappointment  and  discouragement  is  often 
heard  at  these  discussions  and  their  work  suffers  from  a  grow 
ing  lack  of  interest  in  it.  Most  of  them  are  probably  best  fitted 
for  the  work  they  are  doing,  but  a  large  percentage  deserve 
better  ways  to  display  their  talent,  and  better  remuneration. 
The  whole  class  deserves  credit  for  its  bold  advance  in  the  midst 
of  discouragements,  and  for  the  distinct  moral  improvement  in 
their  family  life  during  the  last  quarter  century. 

SUITABLE  CAREERS  FOR  CHILDREN. 

"  These  persons  form  56  per  cent,  or  1,252  of  the  families 
in  the  district  investigated,  and  include  perhaps  25,000  of  the 
negroes  of  the  city.  They  live  in  5-10  room  houses,  and  usually 
have  lodgers.  The  houses  are  always  well  furnished  with  neat 
parlors  and  some  musical  instrument.  Sunday  dinners  and 
small  parties,  together  with  church  activities,  make  up  their 
social  intercourse.  Their  chief  trouble  is  in  finding  suitable 
careers  for  their  growing  children. 

"Finally  we  come  to  the  277  families,  11.5  per  cent,  of 
those  of  the  district,  and  including  perhaps  3,000  negroes  in  the 
city,  who  form  the  aristocracy  of  the  negro  population  in  educa 
tion,  wealth  and  general  social  efficiency.  In  many  respects 
it  is  right  and  proper  to  judge  a  people  by  its  best  classes  rather 
than  by  its  worst  classes  or  middle  ranks.  The  highest  class 
of  any  group  represents  its  possibilities  rather  than  its  ex 
ceptions,  as  is  so  often  assumed  in  regard  to  the  negro. 

"The   colored   people  are  seldom  judged  by   their   best 


EVERYTHING  LEADS  TO  THE  HOME.       295 

classes,  and  often  the  very  existence  of  classes  among  them  is 
ignored.  This  is  partly  due  in  the  North  to  the  anomalous  posi 
tion  of  those  who  compose  this  class ;  they  are  not  the  leaders 
or  the  ideal  makers  of  their  own  group  in  thought,  work,  or 
morals.  They  terch  the  masses  to  a  very  small  extent,  mingle 
with  them  but  little,  do  not  largely  hire  their  labor. 

"  Instead  then  of  social  classes  held  together  by  strong 
ties  of  mutual  interest  we  have  in  the  case  of  the  negroes, 
classes  who  have  much  to  keep  them  apart,  and  only  community 
of  blood  and  color  prejudice  to  bind  them  together.  If  the 
negroes  were  by  themselves,  either  a  strong  aristocratic  system 
or  a  dictatorship  would  for  the  present  prevail.  With,  however, 
democracy  thus  prematurely  thrust  upon  them,  the  first  impulse 
of  the  best,  the  wisest  and  richest  is  to  segregate  themselves 
from  the  mass. 

UPPER  CLASS  TO  SERVE  THE  LOWEST. 

"  It  is  natural  for  the  well-educated  and  well-to-do  negroes 
to  feel  themselves  far  above  the  criminals  and  even  above  the 
servant  girls  and  porters  of  the  middle  class  of  workers.  So 
far  they  are  justified;  but  they  make  their  mistake  in  failing  to 
recognize  that  however  laudable  an  ambition  to  rise  may  be,  the 
first  duty  of  an  upper  class  is  to  serve  the  lowest  classes. 

'  The  aristocracies  of  all  peoples  have  been  slow  in  learn 
ing  this,  and  perhaps  the  negro  is  no  slower  than  the  rest,  but 
his  peculiar  situation  demands  that  in  his  case  this  lesson  be 
earned  sooner.  Naturally  the  uncertain  economic  status,  even  of 
this  picked  class,  makes  it  difficult  for  them  to  spare  much  time 
and  energy  in  social  reform ;  compared  with  their  fellows  they 
are  rich,  but  compared  with  white  Americans  they  are  poor,  and 
they  can  hardly  fulfill  their  duty  as  leaders  of  the  negroes  until 
they  are  captains  of  industry  over  their  people  as  well  as  richer 
and  wiser. 


296       EVERYTHING  LEADS  TO  THE  HOME. 

"  The  mass  of  the  laboring  negroes  get  their  amusement 
in  connection  with  the  churches.  There  are  suppers,  fairs, 
concerts,  socials  and  the  like.  Dancing  is  forbidden  by  most  of 
the  churches,  and  many  of  the  stricter  sort  would  not  think  of 
going  to  balls  or  theatres.  The  younger  set,  however,  dance, 
although  the  parents  seldom  accompany  them,  and  the  hours 
kept  are  late,  making  it  often  a  dissipation.  Secret  societies 
and  social  clubs  add  to  these  amusements  by  balls  and  suppers, 
and  there  are  numbers  of  parties  at  private  houses.  This  class 
also  patronize  frequent  excursions  given  by  churches  and  Sun 
day-schools  and  secret  societies ;  they  are  usually  well  conduct 
ed,  but  cost  a  great  deal  more  than  is  necessary.  The  money 
wasted  in  excursions  above  what  would  be  necessary  for  a  day's 
outing  and  plenty  of  recreation,  would  foot  up  many  thousand 
dollars  in  a  season. 

A  BALL  EACH  YEAR. 

"  In  the  upper  class  alone  has  the  home  begun  to  be  the 
centre  of  recreation  and  amusement.  There  are  always  to 
be  found  parties  and  small  receptions,  and  gatherings  at  the 
invitations  of  musical  or  social  clubs.  One  large  ball  each  year 
is  usually  given,  which  is  strictly  private.  Guests  from  out  of 
town  are  given  much  social  attention. 

"  Among  nearly  all  classes  of  negroes  there  is  a  large  un 
satisfied  demand  for  amusement.  Large  numbers  of  servant 
girls  and  young  men  have  flocked  to  the  city,  have  no  homes  and 
want  places  to  frequent." 

The  vision  which  Dr.  Washington  had  of  the  conditions  in 
the  negro  settlements  in  the  cities,  when  he  advised  his  students 
to  stick  to  the  soil,  is  clearly  indicated  by  the  following  table, 
which  shows  that  in  many  cases  families  in  the  "  black  belt  "  of 
the  city  frequently  live  under  congested  and  unhealthy  con- 


EVERYTHING  LEADS  TO  THE  HOME.       297 

ditions  as  did  those  families  who  occupied  a  one-room  cabin  in 
Alabama,  or  Georgia. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  family  in  the  Southern  cabin  had 
the  advantage  of  plenty  of  warm  sunshine  and  fresh  air,  where 
as  many  of  those  in  the  thickly  populated  communities  are 
deprived  of  the  benefit  of  nature's  own  remedial  agent — pure 
fresh  air.  Here  is  a  table  of  the  number  of  families  who  lived 
in  from  one  to  six  rooms,  as  ascertained  in  the  University's 
survey : 

829  families  live  in  i  room,  including  families  lodging,  or  35.2  per  cent. 

104      "         "      "  2  rooms or   4.4       " 

371      "          "     "3      "       or  15.7        " 


170  "  4 
127  "  "  4<  5 
754  "  "  "  6  "  or  more or  32.0 


\ , or  12.7 

127      "         "     "5     "  / 


"  The  number  of  families  occupying  one  room  is  here  ex 
aggerated  by  the  lodging  system ;  on  the  other  hand  the  number 
occupying  six  rooms  and  more  is  also  somewhat  exaggerated 
by  the  fact  that  not  all  sub-rented  rooms  have  been  subtracted, 
although  this  has  been  done  as  far  as  possible." 

In  a  large  percentage  of  these  cases,  it  was  noted  that  there 
was  almost  as  great  an  absence  of  bathing  facilities  as  described 
by  Dr.  Washington  when  he  related  his  experiences  in  visiting 
the  little  cabins  in  the  Alabama  woods. 

'  So  long  as  any  considerable  part  of  the  population  of  an 
organized  community  is,  in  its  mode  of  life  and  physical  effi 
ciency,  distinctly  and  noticeably  below  the  average,  the  commu 
nity  must  suffer.  The  suffering  part  furnishes  less  than  its  quota 
of  workers,  more  than  its  quota  of  the  helpless  and  dependent 
and  consequently  becomes  to  an  extent  a  burden  on  the  commu 
nity.  This  is  the  situation  of  the  negroes :  because  of  their  phy 
sical  health,  they  receive  a  larger  portion  of  charity,  spend  a- 
larger  proportion  of  their  earnings  for  physicians  and  medi- 


298       EVERYTHING  LEADS  TO  THE  HOME. 

cine,  and  throw  on  the  community  a  larger  number  of  helpless 
widows  and  orphans  than  either  they  or  the  city  can  afford. 
Why  is  this  ?  Primarily  it  is  because  the  negroes  are  as  a  mass 
ignorant  of  the  laws  of  health." 

It  was  Dr.  Washington's  broad  vision  and  his  unusual 
knowledge  of  conditions  with  a  deep  understanding  of  the  needs 
of  citizenship,  that  enabled  him  to  develop  his  wonderfully 
effective  educational  plan  at  Tuskegee,  and  that  there  was  need 
for  someone  to  arouse  the  negro  to  the  seriousness  of  the  situa 
tion  existing,  with  relation  to  him,  is  shown  by  the  general 
conclusion  given  in  a  section  of  the  "  social  report,"  previously 
quoted,  and  which  says : 

"  It  cannot  be  denied  that  the  main  results  of  the  develop 
ment  of  the  negro  since  the  war  have  on  the  whole  disappointed 
his  well-wishers.  They  do  not  pretend  that  he  has  not  made 
great  advance  in  certain  lines,  or  even  that  in  general  he  is  not 
better  off  to-day  than  formerly.  They  do  not  even  profess  to 
know  just  what  his  condition  to-day  is,  and  yet  there  is  a  wide 
spread  feeling  that  more  might  reasonably  have  been  expected 
in  the  line  of  social  and  moral  development  than  apparently  has 
been  accomplished. 

"  Not  only  do  they  feel  that  there  is  a  lack  of  positive  re 
sults,  but  the  relative  advance  compared  with  the  period  just 
before  the  war  is  slow,  if  not  an  actual  retrogression; 
he  is  not  a  large  taxpayer,  and  in  addition  holds  no  con 
spicuous  place  in  the  business  world,  or  the  world  of  letters,  and 
even  as  a  working  man  seems  to  be  losing  ground.  For  these 
reasons,  those  who,  for  one  purpose  and  another,  are  anxiously 
watching  the  development  of  the  American  negro,  desire  to 
know  first  how  far  these  general  impressions  are  true,  what 
the  real  condition  of  the  negro  is,  and  what  movements  would 
best  be  undertaken  to  improve  the  present  situation." 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 
EN  PASSANT. 

SOME  reference  has  been  made  in  the  preceding  pages  to 
the  differences  in  opinion  held  by  Dr.  Washington  and 
Dr.  W.  E.  B.  Du  Bois,  as  to  the  solution  of  the  negro 
problem.  The  latter  belonged  to  a  faction  which  disputed  to 
the  end  the  leadership  of  the  "  man  of  Tuskegee,"  not  because 
they  did  not  recognize  the  good  he  had  accomplished,  but  because 
they  were  not  entirely  in  sympathy  with  his  policy. 

Without  entering  into  any  lengthy  discussion  as  to  differ 
ences,  a  few  points  may  serve  to  enlighten  those  who  never 
have  had  the  matter  brought  to  their  attention.  Dr.  Wash 
ington  was  an  advocate  of  the  doctrine  of  evolution — the  gra 
dual  rising  up  of  his  people  by  the  slow,  steady  process — through 
work  and  study  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest  level  they  could 
qualify  to  reach  as  a  race.  He  made  no  plea  for  social  equality, 
advised  against  "  the  business  of  politics  "  for  members  of  his 
race  and  pleaded  with  them  to  stick  to  the  soil. 

Dr.  Du  Bois,  and  others  who  did  not  entirely  agree  with 
Dr.  Washington,  did  recognize  the  common  thought  expressed 
by  the  former  before  the  congress  of  races  in  London,  that  the 
negro  must  be  developed  both  mentally  and  as  an  economic  fac 
tor  ;  but  they  also  hold  that  any  individual,  when  fully  developed, 
is  entitled  to  full  social  and  political  recognition,  without  re 
spect  to  race. 

Shorn  of  all  its  complexities,  the  difference  is  summed  up 
in  the  statement  that  Dr.  Washington  and  his  followers  planned 
to  win  recognition  by  proving  their  economic  value,  and  that 
Dr.  Du  Bois  and  others  sought  to  demand  it  as  a  matter  of  plain 
human  justice. 

299 


300  EN  PASSANT. 

It  is  also  worthy  of  note  that  in  a  number  of  the  Southern 
States  the  right  to  vote  is  determined  by  economic  status,  and 
that  by  reason  of  negroes  having  acquired  property  at  the  urg 
ing  of  Dr.  Washington,  many  of  them  have  qualified  for  fran 
chise  ;  reversely,  some  who  have  been  fairly  well  educated  in  an 
academic  sense,  but  who  have  not  chosen  to  follow  farming  and 
obtain  property,  have  been  classed  with  the  ineligibles,  though 
in  the  ordinary  sense  they  were  mentally  superior  to  the  poor 
farmer  who  struggled  and  saved  to  acquire  a  few  acres  of  land. 

BETTER  OFF  AND  BETTER  OUTLOOK. 

In  order  to  compare  the  condition  of  the  negro  in  America 
with  the  condition  of  people  occupying  relative  positions  in  many 
foreign  countries,  Dr.  Washington  on  his  last  trip  abroad  made 
an  extended  investigation  of  the  working  conditions,  as  the 
result  of  which  he  made  the  declaration  that  the  colored  man  in 
America  was  better  off  than  most  of  the  lower  classes  abroad 
and  had  a  better  outlook. 

In  a  series  of  articles  dealing  with  labor  problems  and  the 
political  aspects  as  he  found  them,  Dr.  Washington  devoted 
considerable  attention  to  the  women  and  child  workers  and  des 
cribed  the  immigrant  who  comes  to  America  to  the  advantage 
generally  of  the  negro  by  comparison. 

Dr.  Washington  was  also  largely  responsible,  as  the  result 
of  his  various  inquiries  as  to  conditions  abroad,  and  particularly 
with  relation  to  the  negro,  for  the  formation  of  an  International 
Negro  Conference,  which  met  for  the  first  time  at  Tuskegee,  in 
1912.  Representatives  from  a  number  of  foreign  countries 
and  colonies,  as  well  as  prominent  educators  and  sociologists, 
attended  the  meeting,  which  signalized  the  opening  of  a  new 
field  of  co-operation  for  those  interested  in  the  study  of  the 
negro  and  his  development. 


EN  PASSANT.  301 

While  making  his  investigations  abroad,  it  may  incident 
ally  be  mentioned,  as  an  indication  of  the  recognition  which  Dr. 
Washington  received  as  a  leader  among  industrial  educators, 
that  he  was  entertained  by  the  Danish  Royalty,  and  highly 
honored. 

It  is  of  interest  as  showing  the  many  angles  from  which 
the  race  question  can  be  discussed  that  early  in  December,  1915, 
Dr.  Du  Bois,  in  an  address  in  Rochester,  New  York — that  haven 
of  refuge  for  many  slaves  and  negroes  during  and  prior  to 
the  war,  including  Frederick  Douglass,  the  statesman — declared 
that  the  right  to  rule  and  exploit  negroes  is  what  the  European 
nations  were  fighting  for.  In  the  public  press  he  was  quoted 
as  saying: 

WAR  SPIRIT  NOT  ON  NATIONAL  LINES. 

"Why  is  the  world  fighting  to-day?  This  is  not  a  war 
between  races,  because  the  protagonists,  England  and  Germany 
are  of  the  same  race.  It  cannot  even  be  regarded  as  a  fight 
between  sub-races,  despite  antipathy  between  Slav  and  Teuton, 
the  Latin  and  Nordic  people.  It  is  not  in  any  strict  sense  a 
war  between  nations,  because  the  aggregations  of  fighting 
groups  sweep  far  beyond  national  lines. 

"  There  is  to  be  sure,  the  shadow  of  a  war  of  races  looming 
in  the  distance  and  it  glooms  about  the  color  line.  We  see  the 
antagonism  of  color  belting  the  human  world  but  this  present 
war  is  between  whites.  Yet  it  is  based  on  the  very  antagonisms 
of  color  which  I  have  mentioned  and  may  well  be  the  prophecy 
of  greater  strife  to  come  unless  we  sense  the  danger. 

:{ Europe  to-day  is  fighting  to  settle  the  question  of  leader 
ship  in  the  world  of  subject  and  inferior  peoples.  The  pre-em 
inence  of  England  and  France  as  colonists  is  being  challenged 
by  Teutonic  Europe.  They  are  fighting  for  a  'place  in  the 


302  EN  PASSANT. 

sun/  which  means  they  are  fighting  for  the  right  to  rule  and  ex 
ploit  the  unprotected  by  the  revolt  of  their  own  working  people 
and  the  political  power  back  of  this  revolt. 

"  This  makes  exploitations  at  home  difficult,  but  it  does 
not  stop  '  Imperial  exploitation '  abroad.  If  now  we  take  the 
greater  '  preparedness '  for  our  programme,  how  shall  we  so 
prepare  as  to  stop  war  in  the  future?  Manifestly,  we  must  set 
it  down  as  the  first  axiom  that  a  war  between  races  and  colors 
must  not  occur.  To  stop  such  a  contingency  we  must  cease  the 
exploitation  and  murder  of  the  darker  races.  The  moment 
we  do  this  we  take  away  one  of  the  main  reasons  for  war  which 
lie  back  of  the  present  organized  murder.  It  is  thus  that  the 
abolition  of  race  prejudice  becomes  to-day  the  greatest  pro 
gramme  for  peace." 

MANY  OPPORTUNITIES  BEFORE  HIM. 

If  such  a  thing  were  shown  to  be  true  it  would  but  add  weight 
to  Dr.  Washington's  contention  that  as  an  American  citizen 
the  negro  was  at  an  advantage  and  had  many  opportunties  be 
fore  him. 

The  mills  of  difference  usually  grind  out  much  that  is  of 
use  to  the  world,  and  those  who  differed  with  Dr.  Washington 
only  served  to  attract  attention  to  the  success  which  he  achieved. 
It  was  one  of  the  signs  of  advancement  that  his  death  called 
forth  expressions  of  opinion  from  many  leading  negroes  that 
indicated  they  were  cognizant  of  some  of  the  weaknesses  of 
their  people,  while  fully  appreciating  the  progress  which  the  race 
was  making. 

From  the  day  of  its  inception  the  history  of  Tuskegee,  and 
its  financing,  was  inseparable  with  the  efforts  of  a  large  number 
of  white  philanthropists  and  financiers  to  help  the  negro.  It 
was  their  support  which  made  Dr.  Washington's  work  possible, 


EN  PASSANT.  303 

in  a  great  measure.  Many  of  the  negroes  recognized  this,  as 
when  in  the  memorial  service  held  in  the  big  Wanamaker  Store 
in  Philadelphia,  leading  members  of  the  race  paid  a  tribute  to 
Robert  C.  Ogden,  and  declared  that  he  was  the  man  who,  by 
his  support  and  co-operation,  enabled  Dr.  Washington  to  achieve 
his  early  success. 

The  following  excerpt  from  an  editorial  in  the  Philadelphia 
Tribune,  one  of  the  strongest  negro  publications  in  the  North, 
touching  on  the  proposed  erection  of  a  monument  to  Dr.  Wash 
ington,  throws  some  interesting  light  on  this  question  of  the 
negro  helping  his  own: 

LEADER  OF  AFRO '  AMERICAN  PEOPLE. 

"  In  discussing  the  question  of  his  successor,  one  of  the 
trustees  declared  recently,  that  it  would  be  an  easier  matter  to 
find  a  man  to  succeed  Dr.  Washington  as  principal  of  Tuskegee 
than  to  find  a  man  to  succeed  him  as  leader  of  the  Afro- Ameri 
can  people.  There  is  more  truth  in  that  saying  than  usually  ap 
pears  in  such  sayings,  because  the  principalship  of  Tuskegee 
Institute  and  the  leadership  of  the  Afro- American  people  are  not 
the  same,  and  when  separated  by  the  death  of  Dr.  Washington, 
who  united  the  two  in  one,  partly,  in  himself,  they  are  as  sepa 
rate  as  the  hand  as  to  the  one  part  and  as  the  fingers  as  the  four 
parts.  That  is  to  say,  it  is  cutting  off  the  thumb  to  go  its  way 
and  leaving  the  four  digits  to  go  theirs." 

"  Dr.  Washington  built  his  monument  when  he  built  Tus 
kegee  Institute,  and  his  admirers  and  friends  can  best  perpet 
uate  his  memory  by  perpetuating  Tuskegee  Institute  and  its 
work.  The  students  who  have  gone  out  from  the  Institute  have 
been  examples  and  teachers  of  the  self-help.  Dr.  Washington 
preached  as  the  gospel  of  redemption  that  would  not  fail  the 
race  in  its  hours  of  trial.  This  gospel  of  self-help  can  best 


304  EN  PASSANT. 

be  carried  to  the  people  by  students  who  shall  go  forth  from  year 
to  year  to  take  the  places  of  those  students  who  have  gone  be 
fore  them  and  finished  their  work,  because  the  old  order  and  the 
old  workers  change  all  of  the  time  and  must  be  replaced  by  the 
new  order  and  the  new  workers,  or  the  work  planned  by  the 
Master-Builder  of  Tuskegee  Institute  will  ultimately  fail.  There 
is  abundant  need  in  the  Southern  States  that  it  shall  not  fail. 

WHITE  MEN  FINANCE  HIS  WORK. 

'  We  do  not  look  for  any  leader  of  the  Afro- American 
people  to  take  the  place  of  Dr.  Washington  until  such  time 
as  the  race  is  able  and  willing  to  pay  for  such  leadership.  It 
has  not  been  ready  and  willing  to  do  so,  and  has  not  done  so, 
at  any  time  since  the  war.  Dr.  Washington  was  fortunate 
in  being  able  to  get  rich  white  men  to  finance  not  only  Tuskegee 
Institute,  but  all  of  the  other  agencies  needful  in  his  work  of 
leadership ;  great  white  men,  in  sympathy  with  Dr.  Washington 
and  his  work,  such  as  Dr.  Seth  Low,  Mr.  Andrew  Carnegie, 
Mr.  W.  H.  Baldwin,  Jr.,  Mr.  H.  H.  Rogers,  Mr.  George  Foster 
Peabody,  Mr.  John  D.  Rockefeller,  Mr.  Julius  Rosenwald  and 
others  too  numerous  to  mention;  men  who  had  confidence  in 
Dr.  Washington,  and  who  backed  him  in  all  that  he  suggested 
as  good  and  needful  to  be  done  for  the  uplift  of  the  Afro- Amer 
ican  people.  It  is  not  a  pleasant  fact,  but  it  is  a  fact,  that  the 
Afro- American  people  contributed  mighty  little  of  the  vast  sums 
of  money  that  Dr.  Washington  needed  in  his  work  as  principal 
of  Tuskegee  Institute  and  leader  of  the  Afro- American  people. 

"  Dr.  Washington  built  his  monument  in  the  visible  Tuske 
gee  Institute  and  the  invisible  admiration  of  the  multitudes  who 
believed  in  him  and  in  his  leadership" 

Dr.  Washington's  advice  to  the  members  of  his  race  to  not 
meddle  with  politics  and  not  seek  for  recognition  in  this  direc- 


EN  PASSANT.  305 

tion  was  responsible  for  a  large  amount  of  the  criticism  of  his 
race  which  was  directed  against  him.  In  fact,  he  was  declared, 
by  some  of  the  bitterest  opponents,  to  have  been  largely  res 
ponsible  for  the  practical  disfranchisement  of  his  race  in  some 
of  the  Southern  States,  by  reason  of  his  urging  them  not  to 
fight  for  political  recognition  but  to  first  win  recognition  by 
proving  economic  worth. 

JUST  LEGISLATION  TO  THE  NEGRO. 

While  as  an  individual  he  made  it  very  apparent  that  he 
had  no  political  ambitions,  Dr.  Washington  very  early  made  it 
clear  that  he  had  as  high  regard  for  the  political  rights  of  the 
members  of  his  race  as  anyone,  and  on  various  occasions  issued 
open  letters  and  submitted  his  views  to  the  press  and  to  states 
men,  at  the  same  time  urging  the  adoption  of  such  legislation  as 
would  prove  just  to  the  negro. 

For  instance,  as  an  answer  to  the  criticism  that  has  been 
directed  against  him  on  this  score,  it  is  of  record  that  he  sent 
open  letters  to  the  Louisiana  State  Constitutional  Convention, 
and  previous  to  the  State  Constitutional  Convention  of  South 
Carolina,  concerning  the  passage  of  law  which  he  conceived 
would  disfranchise  the  greater  portion  of  the  negro  voters. 

The  letter  to  the  Louisiana  Convention  was  sent  out  by  the 
Associated  Press  and  widely  quoted  and  commented  upon.  As 
showing  his  attitude  it  is  reproduced  in  part : 

"  In  addressing  you  this  letter  I  know  that  I  am  running 
the  risk  of  appearing  to  meddle  with  something  that  does  not 
concern  me.  But  since  I  know  that  nothing  but  love  for  our 
beautiful  Southland — which  I  hold  as  near  my  heart  as  any  of 
you  can — and  a  sincere  love  for  every  black  man  and  every  white 
man  within  her  borders  is  the  only  thing  actuating  me  to  write. 

20-W 


306  EN  PASSANT. 

I  am  willing  to  be  misjudged,  if  need  be,  if  I  can  accomplish  a 
little  good. 

"  But  I  do  not  believe  that  you,  gentlemen  of  the  convention, 
will  misinterpret  my  motives.  What  I  shall  say  will,  I  believe, 
be  considered  in  the  same  spirit  in  which  I  write  it. 

"  I  am  no  politician ;  on  the  other  hand,  I  have  always  ad 
vised  my  race  to  give  attention  to  acquiring  property,  intelli 
gence  and  character,  as  the  basis  of  good  citizenship,  rather  than 
to  mere  political  agitation.  But  the  question  upon  which  I  write 
is  out  of  the  region  of  ordinary  politics ;  it  affects  the  civiliza 
tion  of  two  races,  not  for  to-day  alone,  but  for  a  very  long  time 
to  come;  it  is  up  in  the  region  of  duty  of  man  to  man — of  Chris 
tian  to  Christian. 

GOOD  FOR  WHITE  AND  BLACK  ALIKE. 

"  Since  the  war,  no  State  has  had  such  an  opportunity  to 
settle  for  all  time  the  race  question,  so  far  as  it  concerns  politics, 
as  is  given  now  in  Louisiana.  Will  your  Convention  set  an  ex 
ample  to  the  world  in  this  respect?  Will  Louisiana  take  such 
high  and  just  ground  in  respect  to  the  negro  that  no  one  can 
doubt  that  the  South  is  as  good  a  friend  to  the  negro  as  he  pos 
sesses  elsewhere?  In  all  this,  gentlemen  of  the  convention,  I 
am  not  pleading  for  the  negro  alone,  but  for  the  morals,  the 
higher  life  of  the  white  man  as  well.  For  the  more  I  study 
this  question,  the  more  I  am  convinced  that  it  is  not  so  much  a 
question  as  to  what  the  white  man  will  do  with  the  negro,  as 
to  what  the  negro  will  do  with  the  white  man's  civilization. 

'  The  negro  agrees  with  you  that  it  is  necessary  to  the  sal 
vation  of  the  South  that  restriction  be  put  upon  the  ballot.  I 
know  that  you  have  two  serious  problems  before  you ;  ignorant 
and  corrupt  government  on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other  a  way 


EN  PASSANT.  307 

to  restrict  the  ballot  so  that  control  will  be  in  the  hands  of  the 
intelligent,  without  regard  to  race. 

"  With  the  sincerest  sympathy  with  you  in  your  efforts 
to  find  a  way  out  of  the  difficulty,  I  want  to  suggest  that  no 
State  in  the  South  can  make  a  law  that  will  provide  an  oppor 
tunity  or  temptation  for  an  ignorant  white  man  to  vote,  and 
withhold  the  same  opportunity  from  an  ignorant  colored  man, 
without  injuring  both  men. 

"  No  State  can  make  a  law  that  can  thus  be  executed,  with 
out  dwarfing  for  all  time  the  morals  of  the  white  man  in  the 
South.  Any  law  controlling  the  ballot,  that  is  not  absolutely 
just  and  fair  to  both  races,  will  work  more  permanent  injury  to 
the  whites  than  to  the  blacks. 

NO  UNFAIR  DISCRIMINATION. 

"  The  negro  does  not  object  to  an  education  or  property 
test,  but  let  the  law  be  so  clear  that  no  one  clothed  with  State 
authority  will  be  tempted  to  perjure  and  degrade  himself,  by 
putting  one  interpretation  upon  it  for  the  white  man  and  an 
other  for  the  black  man. 

"  Study  the  history  of  the  South,  and  you  will  find  that 
where  there  has  been  the  most  dishonesty  in  the  matter  of  vot 
ing,  there  you  will  find  the  lowest  moral  condition  of  both  races. 
First,  there  was  the  temptation  to  act  wrongly  with  the  negro's 
ballot.  From  this  it  was  an  easy  step  to  dishonesty  with  the 
white  man's  ballot,  to  the  carrying  of  concealed  weapons,  to  the 
murder  of  a  negro,  and  then  to  the  murder  of  a  white  man 
and  then  to  lynching.  I  entreat  you  not  to  pass  such  a  law  as 
will  prove  an  eternal  millstone  about  the  neck  of  your  children. 

:( No  man  can  have  respect  for  government  and  officers 
of  the  law  when  he  knows,  deep  down  in  his  heart,  that  the 
exercise  of  the  franchise  is  tainted  with  fraud. 


308  EN  PASSANT. 

'  The  road  that  the  South  has  been  compelled  to  travel 
during  the  last  thirty  years  has  been  strewn  with  thorns  and 
thistles.  It  has  been  as  one  groping  through  the  long  darkness 
into  the  light.  The  time  is  not  very  far  distant  when  the  world 
will  begin  to  appreciate  the  real  character  of  the  burden  that  was 
imposed  on  the  South  when  4,500,000  ex-slaves,  ignorant  and 
impoverished,  were  given  the  franchise. 

LIGHT  OF  HOPE  AT  LAST. 

"  No  people  had  before  been  given  such  a  problem  to  solve. 
History  had  blazed  no  path  through  the  wilderness  to  be  follow 
ed.  We  are  beginning  to  get  out.  But  there  is  only  one  road 
out,  and  all  makeshifts,  expedients,  'profit  and  loss  calcula 
tions/  but  lead  into  the  swamps,  quicksands,  quagmires  and 
jungles. 

"  There  is  a  highway  that  will  lead  both  races  into  the  beau 
tiful  sunshine,  where  there  will  be  nothing  to  hide  or  explain, 
where  both  races  can  grow  strong  and  true  and  useful  in  every 
fibre  of  their  being.  I  believe  that  your  convention  will  find  this 
highway ;  that  it  will  enact  a  fundamental  law  which  will  be  ab 
solutely  fair  and  just  to  the  white  man  and  black  alike. 

"  I  beg  of  you  further,  that  in  the  degree  that  you  close 
the  ballot  box  against  the  ignorant  you  open  the  schoolhouse. 
More  than  one-half  of  the  people  of  your  State  are  negroes. 

"  No  State  can  long  prosper  when  a  large  percentage  of 
its  citizenship  is  in  ignorance  and  poverty,  and  has  no  interest 
in  government.  I  beg  of  you  that  you  do  not  treat  us  as  an 
alien  people.  We  are  not  aliens.  You  know  us ;  you  know  that 
we  have  cleared  your  forests,  tilled  your  fields,  nursed  your 
children  and  protected  your  families.  There  is  an  attachment 
between  us  that  few  understand. 

"  While  I  do  not  presume  to  advise  you,  yet  it  is  in  my  heart 


EN  PASSANT.  309 

to  say  that  if  your  convention  would  do  something  that  would 
prevent  for  all  time  to  come  strained  relations  between  the  two 
races,  and  would  permanently  settle  the  matter  of  political  re 
lations  in  one  State  in  the  South,  at  least,  let  the  very  best  edu 
cational  opportunities  be  provided  for  both  races. 

THE  RIGHT  OF  CITIZENSHIP. 

"  Add  to  this  the  enactment  of  an  election  law  that  shall  be 
incapable  of  unjust  discrimination,  at  the  same  time  providing 
in  proportion  that  as  the  ignorant  secure  education,  property  and 
character,  they  will  be  given  the  right  of  citizenship.  Any  other 
course  will  take  from  one-half  of  your  citizens  interest  in  the 
State,  and  hope  and  ambition  to  become  intelligent  producers 
and  tax-payers — to  become  useful  and  virtuous  citizens.  Any 
other  course  will  tie  the  white  citizens  of  Louisiana  to  a  body  of 
death. 

"  The  negroes  are  not  unmindful  of  the  fact  that  the  white 
people  of  your  State  pay  the  greater  portion  of  the  school  taxes, 
and  that  the  poverty  of  the  State  prevents  it  from  doing  all  that 
it  desires  for  public  education ;  yet  I  believe  you  will  agree  with 
me,  that  ignorance  is  more  costly  to  the  State  than  education; 
that  it  will  cost  Louisiana  more  not  to  educate  the  negroes  than 
it  will  to  educate  them.  In  connection  with  a  generous  provi 
sion  for  public  schools,  I  believe  that  nothing  will  so  help  my  own 
people  in  your  State  as  provision  at  some  institution  for  the 
highest  academic  and  normal  training  in  connection  with  thor 
ough  training  in  agriculture,  mechanics  and  domestic  economy. 
The  fact  is  that  ninety  per  cent,  of  our  people  depend  upon  the 
common  occupations  for  their  living,  and  outside  of  the  cities, 
eighty-five  per  cent,  depend  upon  agriculture  for  support.  Not 
withstanding  this,  our  people  have  been  educated  since  the  war 
in  everything  else  but  the  very  things  that  most  of  them  live  by. 


310  EN  PASSANT. 

First-class  training  in  agriculture,  horticulture,  dairying,  stock- 
raising,  the  mechanical  arts  and  domestic  economy,  will  make 
us  intelligent  producers,  and  not  only  help  us  to  contribute  our 
proportion  as  taxpayers,  but  will  result  in  retaining  much  money 
in  the  State  that  now  goes  out  for  that  which  can  be  produced 
in  the  State.  An  institution  that  will  give  this  training  of  the 
hand,  along  with  the  highest  mental  culture,  will  soon  convince 
our  people  that  their  salvation  is  in  the  ownership  of  property, 
industrial  and  business  development,  rather  than  mere  political 
agitation. 

"  The  highest  test  of  civilization  of  any  race  is  its  willing 
ness  to  extend  a  helping  hand  to  the  less  fortunate.  A  race, 
like  an  individual,  lifts  itself  up  by  lifting  others  up.  Surely 
no  people  ever  had  a  greater  chance  to  exhibit  the  highest  Chris 
tian  fortitude  and  magnanimity  than  is  now  presented  to  the 
people  of  Louisiana. 

'''  It  requires  little  wisdom  or  statesmanship  to  repress, 
to  crush  out,  to  retard  the  hopes  and  aspirations  of  a  people, 
but  the  highest  and  most  profound  statesmanship  is  shown  in 
guiding  and  stimulating  a  people,  so  that  every  fibre  in  the  body, 
mind  and  soul  shall  be  made  to  contribute  in  the  highest  degree 
to  the  usefulness  and  nobility  of  the  State.  It  is  along  this  line 
that  I  pray  God  the  thoughts  and  activities  of  your  Convention 
be  guided." 

The  discussion  of  this  phase  of  the  negro  problem  makes  it 
worthy  of  note  that  on  December  I3th,  1915,  the  National 
Equal  Rights  Convention,  which  had  its  origin  with  Professor 
Peter  F.  Clark,  colored,  in  1853,  held  its  session  in  Philadelphia 
and  on  the  fifteenth  of  the  month  celebrated  the  adoption  of  the 
Thirteenth  Amendment  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 
The  sessions  were  attended  by  prominent  negroes  from  all  sec 
tions. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
WHERE  FALLS  THE  MANTLE  THAT  HE  WORE  ? 

OF  a  truth,  "  uneasy  lies  the  head  that  wears  a  crown," 
and  before  the  concluding  chapter  was  writ  in  the 
contemporaneous  history  of  Booker  T.  Washington's 
life,  it  was  a  matter  of  considerable  speculation  as  to  who  might 
be  called  upon  to  wear  his  mantle  and  shoulder  the  respon 
sibilities. 

In  the  organization  which  he  created  at  Tuskegee,  and  in 
the  circle  of  educators  and  business  agents  which  he  developed 
there,  were  a  number  of  negroes  who  had  proved  themselves 
loyal  followers  and  competent  executives,  but  the  burden  which 
Dr.  Washington  shouldered  was  more  than  that  of  an  ordinary 
school  principal  or  executive. 

From  the  beginning  he  had  accepted  the  burdens  of  his 
entire  race  as  his  own,  and,  putting  aside  the  opportunities  which 
came  to  him,  through  which  he  might  have  gained  wealth  and 
a  dominant  position  in  another  sphere,  he  called  to  the  world 
that  his  people  needed  him  and  that  he  had  consecrated  his  life 
to  their  interests. 

When  in  the  fall  of  1902,  criticism  was  directed  against  him 
because  of  his  conferences  with  President  Roosevelt,  and  it 
was  intimated  that  he  was  seeking  political  recognition,  he 
sent  to  the  Birmingham,  Alabama,  Age-Herald,  the  following1 
letter,  in  which  he  declared  that  his  life-work  was  the  promo 
tion  of  his  race: 

e  I  notice  that  several  newspapers  have  recently  connected 
my  name  with  political  matters  in  such  a  manner  as  to  show  that 
my  position  is  not  understood.  I  desire,  therefore,  to  make  the 
following  statement : 

811 


312  WHERE  FALLS  THE  MANTLE: 

'  My  life-work  is  the  promotion  of  the  education  of  my 
race.  It  is  well  known  that  I  have  always  advised  my  people 
that  it  is  of  supreme  importance  at  this  period  of  their  develop 
ment  that  they  should  concentrate  their  thoughts  and  energy 
on  the  securing  of  homes,  the  cultivation  of  habits  of  thrift, 
economy,  skill,  intelligence,  high  moral  character  and  the  gain 
ing  of  the  respect  and  confidence  of  their  neighbors,  white  and 
black,  both  in  the  South  and  North.  From  such  teaching  and 
council  no  influence  can  ever  divert  me. 

NO  POLITICIAN,  BUT  AN  EDUCATOR. 

"  What  conferences  I  have  had  with  the  President  or  any 
other  official  have  grown  out  of  my  position,  not  as  a  politician, 
but  as  an  educator.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  there  are 
about  9,000,000  negroes  in  the  United  States,  who  are  liable, 
under  the  law,  for  taxes  and  military  service,  and  who  are  pun 
ishable  for  infraction  of  the  law.  These  people  at  present 
have  no  member  of  their  race  in  the  national  law-making  body, 
and  it  is  right  that  those  charged  with  making  and  executing 
the  laws  of  the  land  should  at  times  seek  information  directly 
from  the  members  of  the  negro  race,  when  their  relations  with 
the  whites  are  concerned. 

"  Under  no  circumstances  could  I  seek  to  promote  political 
candicacies  or  volunteer  information  regarding  men  or  measure, 
nor  have  I  done  so  in  the  past;  but  because  of  the  importance 
I  have  always  sought  to  place  education  and  industry  among 
my  people  as  the  basis  for  friendly  relations  between  the  races. 
There  may  be  occasions  in  the  future,  as  there  have  been  in  the 
past,  when,  if  I  am  so  requested,  I  can  give  information  about 
men  and  measures  which  would  tend  to  promote  such  friendly 
relations  between  the  races.  Such  information  it  is  my  duty  to 
give  when  it  is  asked  for. 


WHERE  FALLS  THE  MANTLE?  313 

"  At  every  proper  opportunity  I  say  to  the  youth  of  our 
people  that  they  will  make  a  mistake  if  they  seek  to  succeed  in 
life  by  mere  political  activity  in  the  hope  of  holding  political 
offices.  Now  and  then,  however,  public  questions  affecting 
our  interests  arise  which  are  so  far-reaching  that  they  trans 
cend  the  domain  of  politics.  When  such  questions  present 
themselves,  in  justice  to  my  race,  I  make  my  position  known 
and  stand  for  what  I  see  to  be  the  right. 

'  We  cannot  elevate  and  make  useful  a  race  of  people  until 
there  is  held  out  to  them  the  hope  of  reward  for  right  living. 
Every  revised  Constitution  throughout  the  Southern  States 
has  put  a  premium  upon  intelligence,  ownership  of  property, 
thrift  and  character. 

INTELLIGENCE,  INDUSTRY  AND   RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

''  As  an  educator,  and  not  as  a  politician,  I  strive  in  every 
honorable  and  rational  way  to  encourage  the  wise  and  enduring 
progress  of  my  people,  for,  if  all  inspiration  and  hope  of  reward 
is  to  be  denied  them,  they  will  be  deprived  of  one  of  the  greatest 
incentives  to  intelligence,  industry  and  righteousness.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  they  are  encouraged  in  sensible  and  conservative 
directions,  they  will  grow  year  by  year  into  contentedness  and 
added  usefulness. 

BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON." 

In  the  ensuing  years  there  was  little  attempt  to  connect 
his  name  with  politics,  and  it  is  said  by  those  in  a  position  to 
know  that  he  asked  few  favors  of  those  in  power,  except  in  the 
behalf  of  Tuskegee  Institute  or  the  negro  as  a  race.  His  interest 
in  his  people  was  of  such  a  personal  nature,  and  so  intense,  that 
there  were  those,  who,  by  reason  of  their  connection  with  him, 
figuratively  trembled  at  the  bare  thought  of  being  placed  in  a 


314  WHERE  FALLS  THE  MANTLE? 

position  which  carried  with  it  the  responsibility  of  directing  the 
education  of  a  large  portion  of  the  colored  race. 

Though  realizing  that  it  were  next  to  impossible  to  find 
another  Booker  T.  Washington,  the  trustees  of  Tuskegee  In 
stitute  looked  forward  to  the  successful  continuation  of  the  work 
which  he  started,  because  the  organization  which  the  famous 
educator  effected  was  thoroughly  trained  to  carry  on  the  work. 

PLANS  FOR  FUTURE  OF  INSTITUTION  AND  RACE. 

The  very  processes  by  which  he  made  the  institution  were 
such  that  every  student  that  went  forth  became  a  walking  testi 
monial  to  the  efficacy  of  his  methods,  and  withal  thoroughly  fam 
iliar  with  his  plans  of  operation  so  far  as  the  actual  training  and 
means  of  acquiring  an  education  may  be  concerned. 

A  visit  to  Tuskegee  Institute  or  attendance  at  a  commence 
ment  was  sufficient  to  give  a  conception  of  what  an  unusual  place 
it  was,  and  is.  The  popular  idea  of  a  commencement,  based 
on  the  usual  experience,  has  little  application  at  Tuskegee. 
There  was  something  in  the  nature  of  an  exhibition  for  those 
thus  privileged,  such  as  might  be  encountered  at  a  fair.  In 
the  closing  exercises,  for  instance,  a  student  seeking  a  diploma 
was  compelled  to  go  through  the  process  of  setting  a  hen,  or 
a  budding  engineer  was  compelled  to  exhibit  his  knowledge  of 
that  branch  of  mechanics  by  operating  an  actual  engine. 

Tuskegee  was  made  by  Dr.  Washington  a  school  of  prac 
tice.  Mathematics  and  other  branches  have  been  learned  as 
they  could  be  applied  or  used  in  connection  with  practical 
training.  The  man  who  became  a  sawyer  and  was  taught 
how  to  cut  up  timber  and  figure  board  feet  got  his  mathematics 
in  a  way  that  was  entirely  practical.  So  did  the  bricklayer 
who  learned  how  many  bricks  were  required  for  building  a  cer 
tain  wall. 


WHERE  FALLS  THE  MANTLE?  315 

That  is  the  way  many  a  self-made  man  has  secured  his  en 
tire  education.  Dr.  Washington  applied  the  same  principle, 
except  that  he  developed  a  systematized  plan,  so  that  each  stu 
dent  received  a  well-rounded  education,  as  well  as  industrial 
or  other  training.  Therefore  those  who  have  gone  through  his 
school  are  in  many  instances  well  fitted  to  develop  into  needed 
instructors — as  many  of  them  have. 

It  was  not,  however,  from  this  particular  direction  that 
doubt  arose  to  cloud  the  minds  of  those  called  upon  to  select 
a  successor  to  Dr.  Washington,  but  in  the  direction  of  work  out 
side  the  school,  for  Dr.  Washington  was  a  past-master  in  the 
art  of  organizing  auxiliary  forces,  through  which  he  might 
strengthen  Tuskegee  and  increase  its  usefulness  and  prestige. 

It  is  not  a  matter  of  discredit  to  those  other  high  minded 
and  loyal  men  at  Tuskegee  and  elsewhere,  mentioned  as  possible 
successors,  that  the  Trustees  regarded  the  finding  of  the  right 
man  a  difficult  problem,  for  it  is  doubtful  if  any  man  on  the 
face  of  the  earth — white  or  black — ever  has  lived  who  could  fill 
his  place  in  every  particular,  because  they  did  not  pass  through 
the  same  "  fire  "  of  experience. 

NOTHING  TO  PREVENT  HIS  ADVANCEMENT. 

Neither  is  it  a  reflection  to  say  that  the  conditions  under 
which  Dr.  Washington  began  life  were  psychologically  not  a 
hindrance  to  his  progress,  for  by  the  very  reason  of  his  birth 
he  had  nothing  to  live  up  to  in  the  matter  of  social  position. 
There  was  nothing  in  the  way  of  preventing  him  from  doing 
anything  which  he  chose  to  do,  so  long  as  it  was  honest,  that 
would  help  him  advance  himself. 

He  had  nothing  to  maintain  except  his  self-respect ;  he  had 
no  family  whose  pride  or  vanity  would  suffer  if  he  chose  to  do 
menial  work;  no  conflicting  emotions  or  influences  to  veer  him 


316  WHERE  FALLS  THE  MANTLE? 

from  his  moorings.  He  could  live  in  a  hut  or  an  attic  without 
criticism;  he  could  do  an  honest  day's  work  of  any  kind,  and 
because  he  did  do  that  he  learned  by  experience  what  many  men 
never  learn,  the  value  of  applied  knowledge,  or  knowledge 
gained  through  application  in  work. 

It  is  the  men  who  spring  from  the  very  soil  itself  who 
most  frequently  become  a  power,  not  those  who  by  birth  start 
half  way  up  the  ladder — started  there  by  reason  of  advantage 
ous  relationship  or  fixed  social  status.  Dr.  Washington,  with 
unusual  physical  and  mental  equipment,  started  from  a  position 
that  enabled  him  to  take  advantage  of  every  situation.  And  he 
had  two  predominating  qualities  which  were  primarily  respon 
sible  for  all  that  he  accomplished :  he  had  the  ability  clearly  to 
analyze  and  formulate  plans,  and  to  act. 

TO  THE  MEMORY  OF  NEGRO  LEADER. 

In  the  weeks  following  the  passing  of  Dr.  Washington, 
Tuskegee  manifested  such  evidences  of  sorrow  and  witnessed 
such  scenes  as  had  never  before  been  presented  in  the  com 
munity;  seas  of  humanity  gathered  from  all  the  country 
round  to  pay  respects  to  the  memory  of  a  negro  leader,  first 
united  in  the  service  incidental  to  the  interment  of  his  mortal 
body  and  later  to  attend  an  unusual  memorial  service. 

It  had  been  Dr.  Washington's  request  that  when  the  time 
came  for  him  to  lay  down  his  burdens  and  his  life  there  should 
be  no  spectacular  funeral  cortege ;  nothing  but  a  simple 
service,  and  though  his  lifelong  associates  and  helpers  tried 
to  carry  out  his  wishes,  the  more  simple  and  devoid  of  drama 
tic  effect  they  tried  to  make  the  services  the  more  impressive 
they  were. 

No  king  could  have  been  laid  away  with  greater  honor. 
Early  on  the  Tuesday  following  his  death  his  body  was  placed 


WHERE  FALLS  THE  MANTLE?  317 

in  a  hearse  and  conveyed  from  his  home  to  the  Institute 
Chapel  where  it  lay  in  state  until  Wednesday,  when  the 
services  already  briefly  referred  to  were  held. 

During  the  services,  which  were  conducted  by  the 
Chaplain  of  the  school,  John  W.  Whittaker,  at  the  suggestion 
of  Mayor  Thompson,  every  business  house  in  Tuskegee  closed 
its  doors.  From  every  section  of  the  South  there  were  sent 
floral  tributes — hundreds  of  them — so  placed  on  the  memor 
able  day  that  they  completely  covered  the  rostrum  of  the 
chapel. 

ESTIMATE  OF  A  MAN'S  WORTH. 

The  best  estimate  of  a  man's  worth  is  obtained  from  the 
expressions  of  opinion  of  those  among  whom  he  lived  and 
labored — his  neighbors.  The  following  is  an  excerpt  from  the 
Tuskegee  News,  the  mouthpiece  of  the  community  into  which 
Dr.  Washington  walked  unknown  to  emerge  a  National 
figure : 

"  For  twenty  years  it  has  been  our  honored  privilege  to 
be  in  the  very  closest  touch  with  him  in  his  work.  His 
honesty  and  uprightness  of  purpose,  his  sincere  desire  to  be 
of  distinct  benefit  to  both  races,  his  singleness  of  devotion  to 
the  one  work,  have  always  profoundly  impressed  us.  He  loved 
Tuskegee,  the  people,  the  interests  and  Macon  county  at 
large.  How  we  have  seen  his  whole  being  light  up  as  he 
noted  or  heard  of  the  achievements  of  some  persons  of  this 
county  I 

"  He  had  a  holy  ambition  to  see  Macon  county  first  In 
all  things,  but  especially  to  have  her  citizenship  live  in  peace 
with  one  another.  And  it  was  largely  due  to  his  influence 
that  for  over  twenty  years  there  has  been  no  friction  between 
the  races  in  Macon  county.  .  .  , 


318  WHERE  FALLS  THE  MANTLE? 

"  Locally  almost  to  a  man  our  own  Tuskegee  and  Macon 
county  citizens  are  realizing  as  never  before  just  bow  wonder 
fully  the  man  had  worked  for  himself  a  place  in  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  this  community  and  county.  In  a  thousand 
ways  his  influence  for  helpfulness  has  been  felt  and  everybody 
mourns  his  going  away." 

TELEGRAMS  FROM  SYMPATHETIC  FRIENDS. 

Immediately  following  the  announcement  of  the  great 
leader's  death  and  during  the  period  preceding  the  final 
memorial  service  at  Tuskegee,  held  on  Sunday  evening, 
December  12,  hundreds  of  telegrams  and  letters  of  sympathy 
were  sent  to  the  members  of  his  family  and  those  associated 
with  him  at  Tuskegee.  They  came  from  leaders  and  men  of 
public  affairs  everywhere — philanthropists,  financiers,  editors; 
educators,  public  officials  and  executives  and  friends  of  both 
races,  among  them  being  messages  from  former  Presidents 
Theodore  Roosevelt  and  William  H.  Taft  and  Vice-President 
Charles  W.  Fairbanks ;  Andrew  Carnegie,  whose  endowment 
of  $600,000  to  Tuskegee  made  possible  Dr.  Washington's 
extension  of  his  work  into  broader  fields ;  Frank  Trumbull, 
of  the  Chesapeake  &  Ohio  Railroad;  Julius  Rosenwald, 
trustee  and  president  of  Sears,  Roebuck  &  Co.,  Chicago, 
John  D.  Rockefeller,  Jr.,  and  Emmet  O'Neal,  former  Governor 
of  Alabama. 

Nor  will  the  vision  of  that  last  memorial  service,  where 
some  of  these  men  came  to  pay  personal  tribute  to  his 
memory,  soon  be  forgotten  by  the  citizens  of  Tuskegee,  the 
Executive  Council,  administrative  officers,  faculty  and  stu 
dents  of  Tuskegee  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute,  The 
services  were  presided  over  by  Seth  Low,  of  New  York,  chair- 


WHERE  FALLS  THE  MANTLE?  319 

man  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  nearly  all  the  members  of  which 
were  present. 

In  order  to  be  in  attendance  at  this  service  and  to  be  pre 
sent  at  the  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  on  the  following 
Monday,  Mr.  Low,  former  President  Roosevelt,  Frank  Trum. 
bull,  William  G.  Willcox,  William  J.  Schiefflin  and  George 
McAneny,  then  president  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  of  New 
York,  went  from  that  city  to  Tuskegee  in  a  special  train. 
Charles  E.  Mason,  of  Boston,  William  M.  Scott,  of  Phila 
delphia,  and  Julius  Rosenwald  and  Edward  A.  Bancroft,  of 
Chicago,  also  made  the  long  journey,  and  joined  in  eulogizing 
the  dead  leader. 

Former  President  Roosevelt  in  his  remarks  declared, 
11  Doctor  Washington  directed  his  life  work  toward  making 
Tuskegee  Institute,  which  he  founded,  an  asset  to  the  State 
and  nation."  He  also  asserted  that  when  he  was  in  the  White 
House  Dr.  Washington  was  one  of  the  few  men  to  whom  he 
turned  for  advice  because  he  "  knew  that  he  would  not  give 
me  one  word  based  on  a  selfish  motive,  but  because  he  would 
state  what  in  his  best  judgment  was  for  the  best  interests  of 
the  people  of  the  entire  country." 

Thus  was  marked  the  final  chapter  in  the  passing  of 
Booker  T.  Washingtor — the  man  — who  with  the  instrument 
of  genius  carved  out  for  himself  a  niche  in  the  imperishable 
"  Hall  of  Fame." 

The  following  Monday,  December  13,  the  Board  of  Trus 
tees  created  a  $2,000,000  Booker  T.  Washington  Memorial 
Endowment  Fund  for  the  Tuskegee  Institute,  toward  which 
it  was  stated  that  $50,000  had  already  been  pledged. 

The  task  of  selecting  a  successor  to  Dr.  Washington  as 
president  of  the  school  was  referred  to  a  subcommittee  com 
posed  of  Seth  Low,  New  York,  chairman  of  the  board ;  W.  W. 


320*  WHERE  FALLS  THE  MANTLE? 

Campbell,  Tuskegee;  Victor  Taulane,  Montgomery,  Ala.; 
Frank  Trumbull,  New  York,  and  Edgar  A.  Bancroft,  Chicago. 
A  statement  issued  by  the  board  after  its  meeting  said  : 

"  Tuskegee  Institute  is  Booker  T.  Washington's  monu 
ment,  and  his  most  fitting  memorial  is  the  perpetuation  of  its 
great  work  for  the  benefit  of  the  colored  people  and  for  the 
promotion  of  helpful  relations  between  the  two  races.  The 
gap  at  present  existing  between  the  ordinary  income  of  the 
institute  and  its  annual  outgo  is  approximately  $150,000.  It 
is  not  desired  to  close  this  gap  so  completely  as  to  make  the 
institute  independent  of  the  interest  and  support  of  the  living, 
but  it  is  desired  to  reduce  this  gap  to  manageable  proportions. 

"  The  trustees,  therefore,  propose  to  invite  subscriptions 
to  the  *  Booker  T.  Washington  Memorial  Fund '  of  $2,000,000 
for  the  continuance  of  the  institute  and  of  the  work  for  the 
negro  race  which  centres  there.  It  is  hoped  and  expected  that 
$25o,ooo  of  this  sum  will  be  given  by  negroes,  out  of  which 
fund  a  suitable  memorial  will  be  erected  at  the  institute." 

On  December  20,  the  committee  delegated  to  select  a  suc 
cessor  to  Dr.  Washington,  met  in  New  York  and  elected  Major 
Robert  Russa  Moton,  of  Hampton  Institute,  principal  of  Tus 
kegee  Institute,  to  succeed  Dr.  Washington.  Major  Moton 
traces  his  ancestry  from  a  member  of  an  African  tribe  who  was 
captured  by  a  rival  chief  and  sold  into  slavery  to  an  American 
in  1735.  He  was  born  in  Amelia  County,  Virginia.  He 
entered  Hampton  in  1885  and  was  graduated  in  1890.  After 
he  had  finished  at  Hampton,  General  Armstrong,  head  of  the 
institute,  prevailed  upon  him  to  remain  at  the  school  and  he 
took  the  position  of  drillmaster,  and  he  developed  the  depart 
ment  until  it  has  become  one  of  the  factors  at  the  institute. 

*The  32  pages  of  illustrations  in  this  book  are  not  included  in  the  paging. 
Adding  these  32  pages  to  the  320  pages  of  text  makes  a  total  of  352  pages. 


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